#can we get more tardis interactions/character explorations

[saviltriide]

Has anyone wrote anything about the personification or characterization of the TARDIS........ if not it seems ill have to take matters into my owns hands and do some good old fashioned reseach

[the-fiction-witch]

Illusion

Media - Doctor Who (The Lodger Episode) Character - The Doctor (11th) Couple - The Doctor X Reader Reader - Y/n (Companion) Rating - Flirty Word Count - 2857

The doctor bounced around his room, jumping on the bed, still getting accustomed to his room. He had been a lodger with the human Craig for about three days and was already losing his mind pretending to be a human. Of course, The Doctor wasn’t exactly the best at being a human, unsure of the human ways and habits. All the little things that wouldn’t make him look insane so was having to check in very regularly with his human companion back in the Tardis. 

"Honestly? As if being trapped here on Earth wasn't bad enough, I'm starting to think I've gone crazy having to listen to the neighbours screaming at each other for days on end over the most mundane of things!" he complained, "How about you? I'm going to assume that you're having a much better time back at the Tardis,"

"Welcome to humanity." she giggled, "Tardis is fine,"

He sat back up and stared at the walls around him for a good five seconds before letting out another groan, he felt like banging his head against the wall, "Y/n, do me a favour and start doing something useful, I desperately need something to keep me distracted or I'm going to start screaming,"

"Why not read a book?"

The Doctor let out a frustrated sigh before he rolled onto his back and groaned loudly. He glanced over at his small bookshelf before rolling over to the edge of his bed and grabbing the nearest book on it. "I've read all of these already, and nothing that came out since has held my interest!" He flipped through the pages of the book, 

"Write a book?" 

He slammed the book shut and threw it across the room in frustration, "I'm better at doing stuff, like exploring the universe!" The Doctor suddenly perked up as an idea popped into his head "Or, I could build something, or explore some of the buildings here in the city, anything with more action than sitting on my sofa staring at the walls all night because no one here is interesting!"

"Why don't you do the human thing, order a takeaway, drink a beer, and watch crap TV?"

"Absolutely not! I think I'd rather claw out my eyes then watch old reruns of the old Eastenders, and reality TV! Give me anything else that isn't that or Love Island for the love of all time!" He shuddered at the mere thought of having to watch shows like that... He absolutely hated the idea of it

She giggled, "Well... How about I put the Tardis into a safe orbit mode, and come down? Help to sell the illusion you’re really a human if you actually interact with someone, and I'll come to keep you company we can get some food in, and have a drink," she suggested "I get to show you the fun of a human evening,"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as he thought about it for a moment. On one hand he really hated the idea of doing any of those things, but he supposed it was better than spending a night watching Love Island of all things so he begrudgingly gave in. "...Fine! I suppose I can suffer through an evening of acting like a regular human and all the pointless things they do at night like drinking alcohol and stuffing their faces with bad food."

"All right be there in five," she rang off,

The Doctor quickly got up from the edge of his bed and quickly started tidying up the small bedroom he had to make it look like an actual human lived there. He stuffed anything that would look odd and alien underneath the blankets. A book here and there along with just some general random stuff that would give away his secret. Just a couple of minutes later he had managed to get rid of most of the things before hearing a knock at the door,

The Doctor quickly rushed towards the door, reaching it just before Craig, He put on his best happy smile and quickly opened the door up. He was greeted by the sight of Y/n in front of him, looking every bit as ordinary as him.

Y/n smiles in her little blue dress and black tights one of her usual outfits giving the doctor a hug to help sell the illusion of two normal people who knew one another "Hey!" 

"Hey! Come on in then, I was starting to get bored to death in here without you,” He quickly returned the hug, though his focus wasn't on the hug... he couldn't stop staring at her outfit, especially at the tights she was wearing ...That definitely... made things harder considering how her outfit looked with every move she made. He quickly tried to shake the thoughts out of his head and just act casually.

"uhhh who is this?" Craig asked curiously, 

"Oh! Right, this is my... er..." The Doctor glanced over at Y/n for a moment before giving a smile, "Girlfriend! Yes, girlfriend. She's my girlfriend!"

"ohh..." Y/n blushed a little not expecting that to be his excuse, "Hi, Y/n" She introduced herself to Craig the two met and had a small chat about things as people do her normal human way giving the doctor's human persona a much better chance of being believable, 

"How on earth do you put with him?" Craig laughed,

"Ohh you know... I love him" she answered giving the doctor's cheek a kiss,

The Doctor couldn't help but blush a little bit as Y/n kissed his cheek, he was very surprised by how convincing she was at pretending they were actually a couple. The entire thought of her being that convincingly believable made him feel a slight fluttering in his stomach which for someone like him...was unusual. He continued to smile, though it was a little strained from how uncomfortable he was starting to feel being around two regular humans and having to pretend he was just like one of them.

Luckily Y/n knew he was feeling uncomfortable so managed to skirt them away towards his bedroom but Craig stopped the doctor before he could follow her

"Hey, uhh look no issues with you having your girlfriend over but you know maybe... Give me a heads up next time?"

The Doctor glanced over towards Y/n before looking back at Craig and nodding his head. "Oh yes, yes. Next time I'll make sure to mention that she'll be coming over, my apologies." He gave a small apologetic smile, but he secretly just wanted to get out of that conversation and spend time in the bedroom with Y/n.

"no problem, I'm heading off to the pub anyway so... You have fun" Craig winked,

The Doctor gave a small nod before immediately heading over towards the bedroom with Y/n. Once he was inside he let out a long sigh as he closed the door and leaned back against it. "Remind me never to do something like that again! Having to act normal for so long for people is hard."

She giggled "thanks?" She sounded fake offended sitting on the bed, 

"You know what I mean!" The Doctor rolled his eyes playfully at her as he walked further into the room. He went over to his bed and sat down by her, letting out another long sigh before glancing over at her "So, since this is supposed to be a 'normal human night'... What are we supposed to do first? Watch rubbish on TV or order food that will give us a heart attack?"

"rubbish TV, order food, drink beer, and make terrible decisions" she smiled 

He glanced over at her his eyes once again drawn to her outfit and those tights again. "I really don't understand human fashion..."

she chuckled, "What about it?"

"It just looks... uncomfortable. That's all. Just look at the tights you're wearing. You've got to squeeze into them like a sausage!" He looked her up and down for a moment with a small frown on his face while still having issues taking his eyes away from the tights.

"Thanks Doctor!" She said slightly more offended,

The Doctor immediately realized his mistake and shook his head immediately, reaching out gently to take her hands into his. "No, no, no! I didn't mean you! You look lovely, really! I just... I just don't understand how it's even comfortable to wear things like that. And it makes everything so much more difficult for me to focus..."

"you wear a suit and bowtie everyday doctor I'm not sure you can really comment on comfortable outfits besides I like my tights"

"... Fair point, though in my defence those outfits are very fashionable and comfortable! And your tights are... very distracting." He gave a small laugh but he couldn't take his eyes off the way hers were wrapped around her legs as she moved.

she chuckled "You rather I take them off?" She raised an eyebrow,

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly as his mind suddenly became far more empty as the words left her mouth. He stared at her for a moment or two before he mentally slapped himself and quickly shook his head. "... No! I... That's not at all what I meant! I just... they're... distracting! That's all!"

"you are spending too much time down here" she giggled leaning on his headboard "you're becoming a bit too human..."

The Doctor leaned back onto the headboard as he took a sip of the beer, still staring at her legs and those tights. At this point he was completely mesmerized by the way they looked against her skin. "What does that even mean?" The Doctor finally managed to tear his gaze away from her legs and looked over at her, forcing himself to focus on what she was saying for once.

"you’re become predictable. Like a human man."

A look of complete shock immediately took over the Doctor's face in response to her words. He suddenly looked genuinely offended as he looked over at her. "I am not predictable! Predictable? Me? I am the least predictable person you'll ever meet! There is nothing predictable about me at all!" He glared directly at her, not at all happy with how she had labelled him. He clearly did not like being thought of as predictable in the slightest.

"you are becoming predicable down here" she smiled "you’re slowing down... Acting more human"

The Doctor's expression softened after she said that, he went silent for a few seconds, the truth of what she was saying slowly sinking in. He leaned back against the headboard and took another sip of the beer before speaking again. "Maybe... Maybe you're right. Time Lords aren't exactly used to being human. I never wanted to be human... I never wanted to think like one, act like one..." He frowned for a moment before turning his gaze to look at her.

"well it won't be long just till you figure this thing out. Then you can come back to the Tardis and we can go off wherever you need to get back to, an unpredictable, madman with a box that I love so much" she cooed laying her head on his shoulder

A small, genuine smile appeared on his face as she laid against him. He gently put his arm around her and held her close, leaning against her with a happy sigh. "Once I'm myself again, the first thing I'm going to do is take us somewhere completely unexpected. I think it's a good time to finally show you Gallifrey." A look of deep contemplation appeared in his eyes as he looked down at her. He could practically feel his heart pounding.

"... Really?!" She sat up looking into his eyes "You... You would take me there? But you always said you've never taken any companions there?" 

"Yes... I... I will. I'm going to show you my home, I never said anything but now... I want you to see where I came from." He smiled gently, his gaze not leaving her.

Y/n trembled a little tears welling up in her eyes "But... You've had so long, so many other companions you could have taken and ... It's me? I get to go?"

The Doctor nodded his head without an ounce of hesitation in him. "You! Who else would I want to show Gallifrey other than you? You matter most to me." As he continued to look at her, he could see the tears starting and that immediately made him smile even more. "I'll show you everything I can... I'll show you how beautiful the orange skies of Gallifrey are. I'll show you the mountains and the rivers. Everything."

She hugged him tight squeezing him in her arms as she cried tears of joy "Thank you thank you thank you! I promise I'll be on my best behaviour, I'll listen to everything you say, I'll be good and follow all the rules and you can pick my outfit before we go just to make sure!" She began rambling,

The Doctor hugged her back just as tight, holding her securely and smiling happily as he did. He gently pulled her onto his lap and held her against him, rubbing her back as she let out all of her emotions on him. "I'll make sure you have the best experience you could ever imagine while we're there. I'll hold your hand the entire time, you won't even have a chance to misbehave."

she nodded excitedly "okay!"

He gently reached over and brushed a few of her tears away while resting his other hand on her thigh, gently and absentmindedly rubbing her leg a bit. He looked at her and had a small twinge of guilt come to him as he finally realized just how happy she was to share in such an intimate moment with him. 

she giggled looking down at his hand "I should wear tights more often" 

The Doctor immediately realized what he was doing and shook his head, instantly removing his hand with a flustered look on his face as he leaned back against the headboard. "No! No no, I... I need to get my brain under control. Focus on something else, anything..."

She giggled grabbing his hand and putting it back on her thigh"very common human thing, to watch TV and cuddle" she smiled nuzzling into his chest 

He groaned softly as she placed his hand back on her thigh. He wanted to argue against it, but he really didn't want to. He stared at her with a slightly pained frown as he once again started gently rubbing her leg. "Cuddling is a human thing, you're right." He paused for a moment pulling her thighs a little so she sat in his lap before continuing in a mumbled tone. "Though I think I'd rather watch you instead."

She giggled a little about to speak when the bedroom door suddenly opened and in a rush of sudden thought Y/n remembered they had to look like a human couple so immediately grabbed the doctor by the neck and pulled his lips to hers immediately starting a heavy make out as if they had been doing this for hours, He instinctively put his arms around her, wrapping them around her waist and kissing her back, his tongue gently sliding into her mouth. He didn't even react as Craig opened the door, too caught up in what he was doing.

Frankly, her already being in his bed and sitting on his lap was likely enough to sell the illusion already but the kiss was just the sugar on top, 

"Ohh uhh? Sorry for interrupting -" Craig began,

After a few moments of intense kissing, the Doctor pulled away from her for a moment to catch his breath. "Hello, Craig! What's up? Can't you see we're a little busy?" The Doctor quickly said before immediately pulling Y/n closer.

"Right yes sorry just uhh going out I'll be back later. I'll lock the door." Craig nodded a little awkward

"That's fine, no worries! Have fun, we'll probably still be here all night." He quickly went back to kissing her afterwards, gently biting down on her bottom lip.

Craig nodded and shut the bedroom door heading out to go to the pub, 

The Doctor was completely caught up in the kiss, completely focused on the taste of her lips, how good she felt sitting in his lap, how wonderful those tights were still looking... His mind was going a mile a minute while his hand gently and absentmindedly started going up her thigh before he even realized what he was doing.

She blushed hard and kissed back the kisses now turning into a hot and heavy make out her voice moaned into his mouth, his mind exploded from the sound alone. He suddenly couldn’t think about anything but her, completely focused on this new feeling that was overtaking him. He deepened the kiss in response, pulling her closer and running his hand slowly up her back before gently biting down onto her lower lip.

[variousqueerthings]

Well, you don't steer the Tardis, you negotiate with it. The still point between where you want to go and where you need to be, that's where she takes you.

We've headed to Bill's second proper episode. The Doctor is in a somewhat non-dissimilar position to back in s3, but not spiralling into a series of suicidal urges (well...) -- in the sense that we're at "taking on a new companion is Not allowed because I'm sad (and in this case because the Master is being held in the cellar), but... well, wouldn't it be nice?" the difference between Bill and Martha is manifold, it's just interesting to imagine character change in the Doctor, who's consciously got not just Martha, but all of his companions in mind when he's interacting with Bill... and, possibly, Susan a bit, considering that picture in episode 1. Bill, to me, feels correct in being the final companion of this era, she ties a lot of emotional themes together going all the way back to Rose, and her greatest trait to me is all the questions she asks/the kinds of questions she asks

right now Bill is following the Doctor with the knowledge that out there in space, her almost-not-girlfriend-turned-puddle-creature is also hanging around...

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 7/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 7/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 5/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 9/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 8/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 5/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 5/10

FULL RATING: 72/100 (if I can count….)

this season, I tellya. I like this episode despite its flaws (flaws which come from some deeeply ingrained scifi tropes that are due a good Poking at)

OBJECTIFICATION: Woooo, we've done it! none of this Nonsense. also Bill's top is cute, and feels to me like something that didn't come out of a fashion catalogue -- I just mean by this that she's someone without a bunch of money, she'd probably have some Fits that she's really into and this gay top gives off that vibe

PLOT-POINT: Bill really engages with how she feels about travelling and the kind of adventures she's in (ofc we see even more of that in the next episode). in this one she's noticing that the Doctor runs into danger and tries to get her out of the way, and simply follows after, because she thinks there's something kind of destructive and lonely about that behaviour -- and this is what leads her to figuring out key parts of the plot as well

there's also this neat moment where there's a statue of perhaps Nefertiti and Bill stops and compares herself for a moment, and it feels very "I'm Black and I'm in space and I have both history and future" which is part of what her story is about -- before the Doctor she was very much floating from one day to the next, with all these questions she didn't have the privilege to be able to ask and have respected and answered. the Doctor really functions so often as a professor in their stories, being really indulgent with these questions, but still challenging her to figure things out for herself and letting her challenge him when she notices the flaws in his logic (or in the next episode, gaps in his truth)

COMPLEXITY: it's relatively easy to follow the twists and turns of this one, and they're quite good twisty-turns. the one thing I question is its ending, and a bit of its buy-in, but that's about Politics

I liked the feeling of this one though. I liked what it wanted to say, at heart, and I liked a fair bit of how it said it

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: Bill's first own adventure. She's noticing that the Doctor has a tendency to run into danger. she's having some feelings about what the future of humanity might look like. it's not so heavy on Stuff outside of this, but that's fine, the point is really "how does Bill react to time-and-space"

COMPANIONS MATTER: yeah yeah yeahhhh! she really does! and it feels like a conscious choice to go from River Song's "we do as we're told" type line, to now where Bill really challenges the Doctor's limitations. and because she does, vital bits of the story are revealed, to us and to the Doctor

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: I feel like I should have taken more notes on the Doctor's behaviour in this episode, because it's very much the oppossite of this/the Doctor is fallible, but I wasn't conscious enough about whether it's saying something about where the Doctor's head is at that he didn't consider that the colonists might already be there, and could have risked blowing them -- and the Vardy -- up. regardless, I think the Doctor is very happy to be travelling again and specifically to be travelling with Bill

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: this episode is very self-contained, its narrative of colonising a planet because earth is [insert some kind of catastrophe that's not quite spelt out for us] doesn't relate to any other, similar episodes of the same, and I think it could have done. it's quite a popular theme (as we will get into)

“SEXINESS”: Bill is here to tell us we're post the need for stupid faux-sexy talk

INTERNAL WORLD: I think for where it is -- that is a "post"-colonised world, and I will absolutely be talking about that in the point below -- it's very well developed. the way also it threw the Doctor for a loop that the colonists were already there!

I am fascinated by how "post"-colonised is depicted via wheat fields. mono-culture harvesting is no good! (I may be overanalysing but that's the thing about "colony" -- it needs to be complicated as concept in modern scifi, it's well overdue for it)

I also noted in "previous doctor who" that it doesn't connect to any other narratives about Something Is Up On Earth so we must leave narratives it's done, so it's sort of ambiguous handwaved Reasons that bring them to this plot. perhaps if that was more grounded, their desperation would feel more real

but it works, the way the mystery comes together. the Vardy in the wall, the old spaceship full of memorabilia from earth, the shrine to the first dead, and the pods of sleeping people. I really like all that

POLITICS: oooooohohoo it's one of my favourite kind of stories, "everyone is people!" the way to win at the end is not destroying the robots, it's to acknowledge their rights to the planet on which they live. I also like that the majority of the colonists (we'll get to that word in a sec) are South Asian, until we get to gun-man-dude, who's not meant to be in the right. there's just a lot more casual and deliberately thought out diversity from the looks of things, making the future of humanity feel far broader

that being said, there are sooome elements to the whole thing that of course I cannot help but pay attention to- first of all, of course, the idea of colonists to begin with is always something complex that conveniently tends to pretend that wherever a colonist lands is empty before they arrive. that is the case in this episode as well, where the plot asks the audience to simply run with the fact that this planet was colonised, and we arrive to the story when "colonised" is its state, that's how we the audience first see this world. what it was before colonisation is not a part of this story

I really would be fascinated in Doctor Who moving forwards grappling with that idea of the implications of "colonist" because it's been the word habitually used in scifi for so long, without thinking about it, and although there are episodes that deal with immigration, with oppression of one species over another (notably, with humans over others), and with stripping resources without "considering" or perhaps caring for the consequences (and then there are consequences), the very concept of colonist isn't so challenged yet

actually if anyone can point me towards a science fiction story consciously writing on colonialism, which I'm sure there are, I'd be very interested

anyway, for this episode, one of the prime science fiction conceits that I would like to see challenged one day, is the "empty" planet just waiting for humans to populate it. maybe this episode has already been done, but not in nu!who, so again, if anyone knows an audio adventure, a classic story, a book, a comic, I'd be very interested

I also just watched Interstellar for the first time yesterday, so now I'm thinking about the popular narrative of "something's up with earth and it's so fucked, we have to go to somewhere else" which is... well, it's very colonialist, it's very Elon Musk and billionaires in space leaving the poor suckers to die, it's very defeatist, and dare I say it without going a biiiit into sentimentalism... it's very ungrateful to the earth, as narrative. it's time we complicated that "easy" shorthand for why colonialism must be done, the same as we need to complicate the "easy" setting of the conveniently empty planet

SO this story is not about the idea of colonialisation, but the Vardy (who have been helping to prepare the planet) are self-aware, and, according to the Doctor, were here first. I think the throwaway joke at the end lets down the story a biiiit, when the Doctor asks about discussing rental agreements for the humans being allowed there, and the Vardy then show a money sign and a ding effect

don't insert last-minute capitalism on a seemingly abundant world where everyone needs to learn to get along! I think this is partly a consequence of the episode needing to end and not having enough time, but I think drops the ball on that

however! tiny swarms called The Vardy who communicate with humans via robot interfaces are people! that society could become so in a particular Cyborg kind of way as long as it's not capitalist, but that's another discussion

FULL RATING: 72/100 (if I can count….)

this is a solid episode -- it's not perfect, and it kind of falls for "easy tropes" rather than real originality or challenge to concepts, but where it really really works is Bill, in my opinion

this makes a big difference to previous companions, where that's often been the point I've rated middly-to-low, because episodes have struggled to give companions something to do and/or a reason to care about what's happening around them

Oh Bill, you're so great

[capybaraonabicycle]

Let's write an episode together and talk about the TARDIS(s)!

Anyone still there? Sorry, I got a little distracted by other things. But I am still having fun with this, so I will slowly continue it. Come along if you like :D (If you’re new: we’re writing a dw episode with my options that I am giving you and your choices in the polls. When it’s done I’ll force RTD to write it properly /j )

So far, we have decided on a multidoctor episode with the teams:

9 travelling with Rose, Bill and Jack

10 travelling with Martha, Donna and Jack

13 travelling with River and Yaz

Now, the last poll decided, that our episode will mostly take place inside the TARDIS. As we are dealing with a multidoctor episode, the question is: (How) Do they end up inside the same TARDIS? I have come up with some answers.

Explanations and examples can be found under the cut. Please remember while voting that no matter the scenario, the most time the camera will show the inside of one or more TARDIS-s (well, it’s all the same one anyway but you know what I mean), i.e. the console room, hallways or other rooms inside the ship.

I'll give you a little more time this round as I am expecting I might stay this slow with updates.

please reblog to gather more writers ❤

Scenario Different TARDIS-s, different plots

The distinct TARDIS teams don’t interact directly. The scenes switch back and forth, showing three distinct (but related?) stories inside the three TARDIS-s of the three teams. In different points in time and different locations. The teams don’t interact with each other except for possibly the Doctor and Jack remembering a similar situation or objects inside the TARDIS being used. Or things one Doctor and team do influencing another incarnation (think 11 ordering a fez and 13 receiving it). To the teams it has no relevance that we are seeing the scenes together but they enhance each other through subtle references.

Scenario Different TARDIS-s, same plot

All the teams stay inside their own TARDIS, at least for most of the episode, but they can communicate. Either directly, video call style, or a little more like Sally and her DVD’s with the Doctor/Jack leaving notes for past and future selves. The three teams work together to fight some impeding doom™, perhaps resulting in a celebratory party in the end outside the TARDIS-s.

Scenario Same TARDIS

For some reason two teams end up inside the TARDIS of another. I am imagining 13 purposefully tries to borrow 10’s TARDIS to do something specific (maybe she needs the round things for it or something) but miscalculates the time. Thus, contrarily to her belief, 10 and his team are already inside, taking a calm day to explore some rooms or something. And it’s not just them because right before 13 plus team arrive, 9 and his friends have made their way on board, mistaking her for their own TARDIS. The TARDIS, ever helpful, provided them their rooms, too, at the usual place. So, everyone’s inside the ship somewhere, none the wiser, when 13 and Yaz and River are starting the engine. Everyone comes to see who is abducting ‘their’ ship and find those strange women. Half of the episode is probably consecrated to the Doctor’s bickering about whose ship this is and who gets to fly her and the other half to actually pulling themselves together and solving the issue 13 was concerned with together.

Scenario Merged TARDIS – Doors

An error occurs and suddenly, while believing to have landed somewhere else, one team opens their door to leave the ship and finds itself entering the console room of another team, through the TARDIS door again. When they try to leave and go back, they end up inside the third team’s console room. Only at the third try they get back, but no matter where they try to fly to, the doors stay merged together. The outside of one TARDIS has become the inside of another (a tiny bit like in ‘time’ and ‘space’). The main issue of this episode is to figure out how to detach the TARDIS’s again and which Doctor belongs into which TARDIS and which Jack to which Doctor before the split happens and they’re all separated again.

Scenario Merged TARDIS – Interior

The TARDIS incites the teams to venture further into her depths until they reach the inside of another TARDIS incarnation. She has merged her insides together, producing a way of easily moving from one timeline to the other (although you have to run quite a long way, I suppose, I’m sure Donna and 10 will provide some segways to help out eventually). This helps with fighting several issues outside two or three of the TARDIS-s. This episode will feature a lot of running through TARDIS hallways, getting lost, searching for items that only exist earlier or later in time and loads of chaos and shouting to get a grip on the issues happening outside. Also probably someone getting locked inside a room on accident or one of the console rooms being no longer safe to enter.

Scenario Merged TARDIS – Russian Doll

One TARDIS is having steering/stabilising problems. To solve them, she lands inside the safest place: Herself. But not herself right now, but a former/later console room. When that TARDIS, disturbed from the impact of having herself inside, tries to land, the same thing happens. The Doctors storm out, managing to prevent the third TARDIS from landing and repeating the process, but now we have a TARDIS inside a TARDIS inside a TARDIS that can’t land. And the inner ones are too ruffled to start flying as well. The main issue is to resolve the connection and get all the TARDIS-s to be normal again.

(possible extra option with this one: one or several of the TARDIS-s get shrunk in the process together with the travellers. Picture mini-13 climbing over the console and leather jacket up to 9's ear to yell at him to notice them and help them out for Gallifrey's sake! (also tiny Jack hitting on giant Jack and vice versa) If people like this extra option, regardless of which option wins, I'll see if we can include it there, too)

Scenario Merged/One TARDIS – Echoes

We are following the storyline of only one of the teams but the TARDIS is supplying memories/echoes of former/later companions and Doctors to help with the plot. A little like River in ‘Name of the Doctor’ or 13 and the fugitive Doctor in ‘Once upon time’. Some possession, some ghostlike figures and images in mirrors and tapestries, some people suddenly being displaced in time and disappearing again. The echoes are interacting with the main TARDIS team but it is clear they are not completely there. When that particular adventure is lived, the TARDIS stops producing the echoes or is repaired so she doesn’t have to anymore.

Scenario The Master’s TARDIS

We are not inside the Doctor’s TARDIS at all but some incarnation of the Master has abducted/lured all the three teams into their own TARDIS where they have to work together to survive whatever the Master can throw at them in their own realm. Also possible with several incarnations of the Master working together.

Scenario Trenzalore

What it says on the tin. The three teams end up on Trenzalore inside the giant TARDIS that is the Doctor's grave. This one is angsty, friends ❤

In any case, feel free to leave your own ideas for scenarios in the tags. If I like them enough, I might to a redraw between your ideas and the most popular ones here :)

[my-ghost-monument]

DW Positivity Drive

Saw @jolivira doing this - a drive to share what we love about doctor who - and wanted to spread some more positivity! Heads up, it's mostly about 13's era, lol.

Thirteen. She's just - ahhhh. My absolute favourite doctor ever. I never knew how much I wanted to see a woman playing the doctor until I watched 13. I love her energy, how she moves and bounds across the screen, how she delivers her awe-speeches and her anger too (her rage against the Master is just *chef's kiss*). Her way of delivering emotion too. I also love her outfit! It's so cool. The magenta shirt is a favourite, but I love her coat the best.

Thasmin. What can I say about this, other than it's everything I ever wanted? I've shipped Yaz and 13 since their first ever episode. I fel the vibes from them, and to see it be canon on screen is a feeling that will never leave. I adore the way they interact together, especially as s12 hits and that slow burn/crush/feelings make themselves obvious. Their hints that are scattered in s12 are magical - the lingering look in Praxeus, the comparison with Bryon and the 'get off me, Yaz' bits are just more ahhhh! I love how it pans over into flux (the hug!! The way they fly the TARDIS together!!) and into the love story of the specials.

Which need their own point: the 13 specials. All of them are just such favourites. Time loops and daleks and love confessions! And then LOTSD is one of the eps I will always remember just watching with my jaw dropped in amazement. And TPOTD is, imo, one of the best finales in dw. The independance and beautiful drive Yaz has. The hand/arm touch when 13's regenerating. The bridal carry! The implict and very much there intimacy the two have, where it's almost like the viewer is intruding.

Yaz Khan. I adore Yaz. She's one of my favourite companions. Her journey through the series - how she grows and develops herself. Yaz's arc is so subtle and beautiful and amazing, and it really shines now her whole era is done. She's such a good character, and I love how she stopped taking 13's shit and confronted her, and actually got so much of 13 told to her, and got to experience her first taste of love. How she'll be able to go on in her life now knowing what she's capable of, and that she deserves everything. And I will always love the fact that she can fly the TARDIS.

And of course, Mandip and Jodie specifically, because their acting was phenomenal. Towards the thasmin scenes and in general too.

Thirteen's TARDIS. It's honestly so beautiful. I love the colouring and the vibes, and how warm and cost it could feel and how cold and alien it looked in s12. It's such an organic structure, and really looked fascinating and alien.

Dhawan's Master. He is hands down the best for me. He's amazing in acting, he brings such energy and gusto. His chaotic evil, lashing out and hoping for that strike, his gambling, has made him so good to watch. His anger is explosive, his humour is great, and the way he interacted with 13/Jodie just was so good. The Rasputin dance scene - just wow, lol.

For S11 eps: Demons of the Punjab. What a stunning, heart-wrenching ep. And The Tsuranga Conumdrum since it's probably my favourite of s11 and I love the story progression. Also the 'come to daddy. I mean mummy' line in Ghost Monument.

Chibnall. I love how his era went (It's, if you can't tell, my favourite). The ideas he used, his timeless child arc and how it relates to adoption and abuse. The fact he gave us canon thasmin. How he brought in the 'terrible/imperial time lords' again, with the timeless child. The existence of Karvanista. How he ended his era in a perfect way, that wasn't devestating or grimdark but fit the natural tradegy every doctor must face while also giving Yaz a whole life to explore from now on - how every 13 companion got to live and go home too.

Martha Jones. She was my first favourite companion and I adore her personality and her sense of self and drive. And that leather jacket! (Smith and Jones will always be a favourite ep for me too, because of how cool Martha is in it).

The Runaway Bride and Partners in Crime. They're absolutely hilarious eps I love coming back to.

Lastly, I love the doctor themselves. How they are a character who is so full of love and will gladly sacrifice themselves to save their chosen home and people. They have flaws, but at their core all they want to do is help and be loved and love.

All I can think of right now - if you've reached the end, go and make your own post to keep sharing the positivity! <3

[quantumshade]

a criticism of chibnall era doctor who but i don’t hate women

this is gonna be a long read. i’m adhd and i know how hard this kinda shit is to read, but I worked super hard on this and i’d appreciate it if you gave it a chance :) tl;dr chris chibnall hasn’t bothered to develop any of his characters past two dimensions and it’s left the show wanting. also this is all my opinion you are legally allowed to disagree with me no hate mail please and thank you

I’ve been a fan of Doctor Who for a long time. Not as long as some, mind, I was two years old when the reboot began airing. I’ve never seen Classic -- I’d like to, just haven’t had the time, which is ironic -- but I don’t think that makes me any less of a fan.

For a long time, Doctor Who has been one of those “nerd things,” yknow? My dad knew somebody in high school in the 80’s who dressed like the 4th Doctor every single day. Scarf included. Not that my generation was any better -- I had a friend in middle school who wore suspenders and a bowtie for like 2 months straight until they got tragically “lost in the wash”. Doctor Who demands attention from its fans, and rightfully so. It’s a whimsical space romp with all the best elements of sci-fi. It’s funny at times, and heartbreaking at others. It explores so much, and by its nature, is constantly changing.

That changing nature is why it chafes with nerd culture so much, I think. Nerds HATE change. Just think about how star wars fans are every single time new content drops. And Doctor Who is changing every single episode. The title character is an ageless, godlike being who can change their face and personality almost at will. Companions come and go, as do writers, composers, directors, et cetera. It’s Theseus’ ship. Or Theseus’ TV Cult Classic, I guess. 

So when a fan complains about “doctor who isn’t the same anymore” or “[blank] ruined doctor who”. Of course it’s not the same. If you want consistency, this is not the show for you. Things are constantly retconned, resurrected, developed, and then undeveloped, done and undone, and then done again. That’s something I’ve always loved about it. The constant change means that if you don’t like the show at one point, you’ll just have to wait a few years and maybe you’ll vibe with it again. Gatekeepers can’t really talk about the “real” canon because there is no real canon.

All this being said, let’s get into what the Chris Chibnall era is doing wrong.

Let’s start with Team TARDIS, or as the Doctor likes to call them, her fam. I like them, I really do. I think the actors are incredibly talented and they obviously have fun making the show together. The problem is, well, it’s in the writing. 

The fam are extremely two dimensional characters. We meet them, we’re told basic facts. Graham is a retired bus driver. Ryan has dyspraxia. Yaz is a cop (why??). The audience doesn’t learn much about their personalities, their goals, their ideals. We don’t really get a sense of why they want to travel with the Doctor. Sure, they want to see all the wonders of the universe, but what else? Amy was running from her wedding. Rose was escaping a life she found unsatisfactory. Donna wanted to be appreciated. There’s almost always another reason why they travel, and that reason is integral to who they are as people. Sure, the audience is told the fam’s reasons, but what the Chibnall era doesn’t understand is saying something doesn’t make it true. You have to show it. And you have to trust that your audience will understand. You can’t spoon feed them through clunky dialogue the whole time.

We’re told that the fam are friends, that they trust and love each other, that they like being around one another. We’re told all this, but we’re not SHOWN it. Their interactions remind me more of three people sharing an UberPool and chatting with their wacky driver. In past seasons, we’ve seen those friendships develop. The Doctor meets somebody. They have an adventure. They invite that person to come along. The person agrees. The person learns that life with the Doctor isn’t as glamorous as they’d thought and are often freaked out by the fact they don’t know much about the Doctor at all. The companion challenges them, argues, demands to know more, and through this, they become friends. For Rose it’s The End of The World, for Martha it’s Gridlock, Donna, Fires of Pompeii. Amy, The Beast Below. I could go on.

(she just sits down and stares him down. martha jones i love you)

I honestly think Ten and Donna are the best example of platonic soulmates ever written on TV. She’s not in the least bit attracted to him, and she loves him deeply, and he loves her the same way. Donna is there for him after he loses Rose, she convinces him to keep going. She challenges him in Pompeii, not intimidated in the least by his whole “Last of the Time Lords” schtick. And in return, he shows her how brilliant and capable she is. She doesn’t believe in herself or her abilities, but he treasures her input and her company. She loses all of that in the end, but while she’s there, they have fun together. They are believably best friends, but the narrative doesn’t keep having to say, “Hey look at these two best friends!!” Instead, we see it in their interactions, in what they do for each other, in how they solve problems together.

We get something similar later, with 12 and Clara. With 11, Clara doesn’t often stand up to him or tell him off, and that puts a barrier between them. They’re friends, but it’s distant and awkward at times.I could write eight more pages about my problems with Clara in series 7. Her role in that season is so fucking stupid. I hate the impossible girl stuff. When 11 regenerates, though, I think that’s when Clara’s character arc really takes off. She’s distrustful of 12 at first - and rightfully so, he’s kind of a dick in Deep Breath - but by the end of the episode she’s accepted that he’s the same Doctor and still her best friend. And she’s his; Twelve, the emotionally distant, no-hugging Doctor, calls Clara his best friend out loud.

Clara’s arc later in Series 9 is her becoming too much like the Doctor, almost forgetting that she’s human, and that leads to her death on Trap Street. In her own way, she becomes her own Doctor, travelling the stars in a TARDIS with a companion, and she’s allowed as many years of adventures as she wants before going back to trap street. Series 9 Clara is leagues different from Series 7 Clara. She grows and changes so much over her 2 and a half season run. (Quick sidebar, I’m not saying these seasons are perfect. I could write a whole other essay about the problems with the Moffat era. Hell, I might do if this one gets any notes. Kill The Moon is un-fucking-bearable except for the one scene where Clara rips the Doctor a new one. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman played so well off each other, even when the writing of their seasons got… Moffat-y.)

Chibnall doesn’t seem to follow through on a lot of stuff, actually. I think the best example of this is Series 11, Episode 7, Kerblam. Woof. This episode frustrates me to no end. I remember, actually, the week before the episode came out, I was chatting with some friends on Discord about how excited I was for another anti-capitalist episode. Doctor Who has a lot of these, Oxygen from Series 10 being the most recent. 

But then the episode aired, and it literally resolved with the Doctor talking about how “The System Works! People Are Just Using It Bad!” And… no. The system’s working exactly as it should. Kerblam was so strange because I felt like it was setting up for that anti-capitalist message, and then it does a 180 halfway through to suck Amazon’s dick. I don’t know if the network made them change it, or if it was just shitty writing, but it’s unsatisfying. The Doctor also… leaves and allows the antagonist of the episode, Charlie, to die in an explosion, which just seems very un-Doctor-ish. Again, I don’t know if it was shitty writing or if it was an intentional choice, but I didn’t like it. 

Something similar happened in the next season with Orphan 55. Holy shit, that episode had the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It also tried to make the viewer feel personally responsible for global warming, which is just fucking stupid. Global warming is the fault of corporations. Hence why anticapitalist episodes are so popular with Doctor Who. And literally nothing is gained by making people working minimum wage jobs feel bad about not doing enough to stop global warming. It’s just such a cold and privileged take which was forced directly down the viewer’s throat. You have to show and not tell. The Doctor’s speech at the end of the episode really just shows us how much Chibnall trusts his audience -- which is to say, not at all. 

We haven’t gotten any complex character arcs from the fam, I don’t think, and it’s left the show wanting. They have stories, but they go unexplored and underdeveloped. The companions aren’t given much to do at all, which sucks because there’s three of them. The TARDIS feels almost crowded. Don’t get me wrong, I love Yaz, Ryan, and Graham, I really do, but I’m just… not as emotionally invested as I have been with other companions. As a result, I’ll be honest. I don’t totally understand the people who ship 13 and Yaz. People who do ship them are 100% valid, of course, but I just don’t see it. I’m not opposed to Doctor/companion romantic relationships; I’m a big fan of romantic Doctor and Rose, and I liked romantic Doctor and River (which is to say, my personal fanon Doctor/River where River has a real character arc). The difference is River and Rose both knew the Doctor very well. They knew who they were, what they’d done. The Doctor shared their feelings with both of them, Rose especially. I feel like with how secretive 13 is, and where she is emotionally, I really don’t think she can do a romantic relationship right now. Also, as I said before, I barely believe 13 and the Fam are truly friends, I wouldn’t really be able to believe a romance.

I hope series 13 changes my mind. I’m a lesbian, I would LOVE a romance between two female main characters in my favorite show. I want to be able to root for that to happen. As it stands now, though, between the lack of depth from Yaz as a character and the Doctor’s emotional unavailability, I just can’t. (All this being said--let 13 kiss a girl!!) I was hoping we’d have a Yaz character arc since it would just be her and the Doctor, but they’re adding another white man into the mix, so we’re gonna have to see.

I don't think Chibnall really thinks about the consequences or implications of a lot of the choices he makes in his writing. I think he’s decided on a story that he wants to tell and doesn’t care what comes of it after he’s done telling his story. 

[Deep breath] I’m talking, of course, about the Master.

Spoilers ahead for series 12.

The Master is reintroduced at the very beginning of Series 12. He’s mostly there to kickstart the Timeless Child arc - more on that later. The reveal that O is the master is one of my favorite scenes in the Chibnall era so far. The Doctor slowly working out that he isn’t who he says he was had me on the edge of my seat, and then when the Master realizes he’s been made, he immediately drops the act and you can actually see the 180 degree alignment shift on his face. Kudos to Sacha Dhawan for that, cause holy shit. I want to reiterate that all of the actors in these seasons are incredible, and they’re doing the best they can with what they’re given. 

No, my problem with the Spymaster doesn’t lie with Dhawan, I think he does an excellent job portraying the Master’s general chaos. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my problem is once again with the writers. Sidenote, as I wrote this, I kept trying to put this particular topic off because a.) I hate it and b.) it makes me SO angry. But I was three pages into the Google doc and I just needed to rip the bandaid off.

Remember that fun part in Spyfall part 2 where the Master, currently being played by a person of color, wore a nazi uniform and like, colluded with nazis? Uh, yeah. Hey Chris? Uh, hey. Hey Chris? Chris?? What the fuck was that??

I’ll be straight with you, Chris. I’m Jewish. I’m gonna be uncomfortable with any scene with nazis. Seeing swastikas in any setting sets the fucking Kill Bill sirens off in my head. Putting the Master in that position was not in any sense okay. He wears a nazi uniform AND uses a perception filter. But why does he need both? If he has the perception filter, he shouldn’t need the uniform. That implies that he’s literally just wearing it for fun.

The Master is, and to my knowledge, always has been, a silly and campy villain. In Series 3, he turns the Tenth Doctor into a very old man for… seemingly no reason? Just to fuck with Ten, I guess? Then he turns him into a wrinkly Dobby-man with the worst special effects I’ve ever seen on TV to date, including the Season 2 Buffy werewolf costume. And then after that, he literally CHOOSES to die in the Doctor’s arms to prove a point while the Doctor screams and cries over him. Holy shit. Total whiplash. The RTD era is absolutely off the shits, I love it. 

Sure, John Simm’s master is… incredibly evil. He murders millions and takes over the planet. Then later he, uh… eats people? End of Time is a weird episode. I don’t like him much as a character, but I think he’s a good villain and a good foil for 10. My favorite Master that I’ve watched so far is Michelle Gomez’ Master. I LOVE Missy. She’s fun and chaotic and evil (and pretty), but her goals have shifted from world domination to purely fucking with the Doctor, which I think is far more interesting. In Series 8, arguably the only season she’s an antagonist in, she says as much. 

“I need you to know we’re not so different!”

If you’re still reading this, and you haven’t gone to my inbox to call me some slurs on anon because you disagree with me, thanks! I appreciate it. But now, regrettably, I’m gonna have to make everybody mad. 

Let’s talk about the Timeless Child. 

I feel like I should warn for spoilers again, just in case. MAJOR Series 12 spoilers ahead. 

Possibly the most divisive thing to happen to the Doctor Who universe in at least the past 25 years, The Timeless Child is the reveal that the Doctor isn’t a Time Lord. They’re an eldritch being from another dimension who, we assume, can regenerate endlessly. The Time Lords of Gallifrey experimented on the Doctor as a child, eventually finding a way to allow themselves to regenerate using the Doctor. The Doctor has had many lives that she doesn’t remember at all, even meeting one of her past, pre-Hartnell selves who had been Chameleon Arched and hiding in Gloucester as a woman named Ruth. I will say, I liked the Ruth!Doctor. She was cool, and I hope we see her again on the show, or maybe that she even gets an audio series or spinoff. That’s one pro to the Timeless Child stuff - it opens up the extended universe of Doctor Who even wider than it already was. Presumably, at some point in her future, Ruth!Doctor’s memories will be erased and she will be forced to regenerate into a child, thus beginning the story we know about the Doctor.

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this storyline yet. I haven’t made up my mind. I will say, a lot of people who don’t like it see it as changing the Doctor’s entire backstory… but… I disagree. The Doctor we know, the one we have known since the 60’s, was raised on Gallifrey and believed they were Gallifreyan for, what, three thousand years? Do we even know how old the Doctor is now? That’s besides the point. They’re still our Doctor, the one who stole a TARDIS and ran away, the one who traveled with Susan and Sarah Jane and Ace and Rose and Bill. They’re still the alien who went to see the stars and fell in love with the human race. I really don’t think it changes much of what we already knew, but it does make their past a mystery, which I think has the potential to be good if done correctly. 

Again, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this storyline yet. Series 13 is gonna have to work really hard to convince me, to sell me this huge universe change for my favorite show. I was worried that it was just a dumb, convoluted way to give the Doctor unlimited regenerations, and then Chibnall would just brush it under the rug and move on, but Revolution of the Daleks actually gave me hope. 13 had a deep, insightful conversation with Ryan. I can’t find a clip, but it was a really nice conversation. That was an excellent scene in my opinion. That’s the kind of conversation we should have gotten back in Series 11. The Doctor tries to push it off, but Ryan does something unprecedented for a Chibnall character. He challenges her. He insists that they talk about it, and they do. The other interesting thing is 13 admits to feeling angry. This incarnation of the Doctor rarely shows any emotion other than bubbly excitement. It’s a direct opposite to 12, who often used his anger to show the gravity of a situation -- think Zygon Inversion war speech.

But 13 doesn’t often let her emotions show, so her admitting to Ryan that she’s angry is… big. That’s what gives me hope. Chibnall, the king of not following through, is hinting at Emotional Followup. I might be setting myself for disappointment again, I don’t know. I’m willing to give the Timeless Child stuff a chance. Doctor Who canon doesn’t have much grounding. It’s a massive, horrifying mess and everything contradicts everything else.

People who hate the TC stuff and want to Marie Kondo it out of their personal canon are valid, as are people who love it and accept it as canon. That’s something the Doctor Who fanbase -- and fandom spaces in general -- really need to learn. Different opinions are okay. Not everyone is going to agree with you all of the time. We need to be more accepting of different opinions in media, so long as those opinions are not harmful. 

Chris Chibnall, on the other hand. Chris, I am speaking directly to you. Don’t screw this up. Don’t bone this one. You’ve boned two seasons so far, Chris, and if you bone another, I... don’t know what I’ll do. But I’ll be really sad, so. 

I’m begging you, man. Here, I’ll even give you a free storyline you can use! If you recall, Chris, in Series 9 of the television show you are the head showrunner for, Doctor Who, the 12th Doctor, as portrayed by Peter Capaldi, banishes Rassilon and the rest of the High Council from Gallifrey. This implies that leaving Gallifrey is possible, and other Time Lords or even other Gallifreyans could be out in the universe. In my opinion, it would be very interesting if the Doctor ran into some of these people, most likely Rassilon and the High Council, somewhere in the universe. It turns out that they found out that Gallifrey was attacked again (because you and I both know, Chris, that planet isn’t staying destroyed forever) and worked out that the Timeless Child cat is out of its metaphysical bag. I think it should be revealed that THEY sent the Judoon after her and sent her to prison because they’re scared of what she’ll do now that they don’t have any power over her. And the Doctor said she’s angry. Let her be angry. Let her find the High Council and tear them a fucking new asshole. They’re afraid of her, but they don’t need to be, because she’s the Doctor and she’s not a god, nor a vengeful one. She never has been, and this new information isn’t going to change that. I want the narrative to SHOW that she’s still the same Doctor. She isn’t her genetics, she isn’t their lab rat, she is her own person. That’s something your Doctor has struggled with. She doesn’t seem to know who she is. Make her realize. 

After that, get on your knees and beg Michelle Gomez to reprise her role as Missy. Have her come back to the show, post the Cyberman ship they were on in The Doctor Falls. She knows about the Timeless Child and she knows that the Doctor knows because the Dhawan! master was her previous regeneration. Have her apologize and let her tell the Doctor that she tried to stand with her and wants to continue to do so. Maybe let them kiss, I don’t know. 

You should also let Yaz see the Doctor’s darker side. Let her realize that the Doctor isn’t a god, or a superhero, or a perfect genius. She’s a person. She’s flawed. She has questionable morals sometimes. And she’s so, so old. She’s lost so much. Let Yaz see that. Let her do what other companions have done and challenge the Doctor. You keep telling the audience that they’re such good friends. Now show us that. Give Yaz more character and a significant character arc. She’s been here for two seasons, and I feel like I barely know her. Oh, and have her quit being a cop. 

The Doctor should deal with the information she’s learned. She should relearn who she is. Because she’s not perfect. She’s just a person passing through, helping out, learning. An idiot with a box and a screwdriver. She’s not always a good person, but she always tries to be. She’s been dozens of different people for God knows how many millenia. She is all of them. That’s what her confrontation with the High Council should result in. And let Jack come back again and allow the Doctor an honest, emotional conversation with him. He of all people should understand, since he left the Time Agency because they stole two years of his memories, and he knows the burden of living forever better than anyone. They’ve known each other for so long, let them reminisce about Rose and the good times they had together. Reaffirm their friendship. Reaffirm who the Doctor is. She depends on her friends. For the Doctor, in this season, I think those friends are Jack and Missy. I think they understand her and what she’s struggling with. In my perfect world, you would bring back Rose and River as well because I love them (I just think they’re neat!) and I think they could help her. Or someone else from Classic Who, I dunno. The Doctor feels as though her world has changed. This season needs to show her that it hasn’t.

And basic criticisms, Chris: stop being so fucking preachy all the time. You don’t need to spoon feed the message of the episode to the audience. I realize Doctor Who is often a show aimed towards kids, but kids are so much smarter than we give them credit for. They’re not stupid. I promise they will understand. And not every episode even needs a message! You’re head writer for the dumbest, wildest, best sci-fi show on the planet. Just make a goofy sci-fi episode. Doctor Who episodes that are just stupid and fun are good. Boom Town. Unicorn and the Wasp. Flatline. 

And take more risks. I understand that casting a woman as the Doctor was a big risk, but for fuck’s sake, quit being a coward. It’s been nearly three years. People are used to 13, they’ve accepted her. Timeless Child was a risk, but it wasn’t a fun risk. Do a weird anticapitalist episode. Bring back an old monster other than Cybermen or Daleks. Have an episode with, I don’t know, the Racnoss or the Ice Warriors or the Silurians or something. Come up with a fun new monster. You have so much potential there that you just don’t use. Be better. I know you can be a better writer, man. If you can’t do any better, well, then maybe it’s time to step down and let someone else take the reins.

I’ll always love Doctor Who. It’s been an interest of mine for well over a decade. I’m not giving up on it, but these seasons have just failed to grab my attention or my emotions, and quite frankly that makes me sad. There’s so many options moving forward. I have hope that this show can hook me again. The writers just need to try harder. Hire more women and people of color and lgbt+ people. A diverse cast of writers will always make a show with diverse characters better. Segun Akinola is an excellent composer. Utilize his music more. This scene clip of 13 escaping the matrix at the end of s12. had the Doctor Who theme in the background. Which was fine, I guess, I love the theme. (Fun fact: the theme was realized by a woman with the same first name as me!) but Akinola wrote this theme for 13 and I don’t remember it ever making an appearance in the show. It would have been perfect for that scene! 

https://open.spotify.com/track/1kNyixkRpA8QEN7SFzPCeG?si=23e74ae95320427e

Series 13 has so much potential. I truly believe that. I have so much hope. Please don’t let us down again. I’m not just being a pissy fan. I know there’s literally hundreds of these posts and videos and whatnot complaining about these seasons, but again, I’m not here to complain about it getting “too political” or “ruined by sjws'' because that’s bullshit. Doctor Who has always been political. All I’m saying is I think you can do better. I know you can do better. 

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much, holy shit. I really appreciate it. You can come talk to me about this in my inbox, or shoot me a message, or whatever. Just… please don’t be too mean to me. I already get enough anons calling me slurs. This is all my opinion. I know not everyone is going to agree with me, and like I said, you are welcome to whatever opinion you have so long as it’s not harmful. We’re all here because we love this stupid, wonderful show that takes us through all of time and space and made us fall in love with the stars. Let’s hold our show to the standard and hope for better.

Thanks for reading.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Have you seen Flux. I was pleasantly surprised after Chibnalls first two attempts.

Oh yeah, I saw it.

So, so many thoughts. To sum it up, I felt like I had dropped into the middle of a Doctor Who feature length film, and seen a middle part of it. Maybe it was just the hype, maybe it was the stakes or the cinematography, but this definitely felt high definition and like it really mattered. Of course, I did say that it felt like I fell into the middle of it, and that's perhaps the biggest issue. We immediately pick up in basically the middle of the adventure, with The Doctor having already fought Karvanista. The pacing is so fast, that it helps ramp up the tension, but there's never a single moment to catch your breath. Also, because this is the first part of a continuous story, it seems like they wanted to introduce absolutely everyone. Characters like Vinder and Claire serve very little purpose for being here apart from simply being introduced. Those scenes could have probably been cut. That said, I quite like them both so far. I'm not sure, but what I think happened is that the Claire we saw get sent back in time is actually a younger version, and that the Claire who approached The Doctor had been living out her time in the past. Which would mean she met the Doctor in the interim, and also that she doesn't age...Time Lady, perhaps? Either way, the worst example of this is John Williamson. I genuinely forgot he even appeared in the episode.

I love the cast, seriously.

I'm going to move away from theories for now, because I have a pretty big one about The Flux, but first I need to talk about Karvanista and Dan, because I love them, Apparently Karvanista is played by Strax's actor? He never fails to amaze me, and the whole idea of the Lupari works for me - I mean, this show has had humanoid cats before. And the idea that each of them is bonded to a human that they must protect? That's wholesome af. Oh, and he's a former agent of the Division. Damn if that reveal, just like the Flux reveal in the same scene, didn't get me revved up. But setting that aside, his character is impossibly charming, especially the way he plays off Dan. I sincerely hope they interact more in the coming episodes. Which reminds me, I kinda love Dan? Like, it was a bit difficult to make out what he was saying through his accent and the loud background music, but all of his lines paint him as a lovely guy? Really kind of wish he didn't have to have a compulsory female love interest but who cares, he gives tour guides to people despite not working there! He's just a very sweet guy and he also cracks me up. His bit about how his friend has a ship bigger than the Tardis, like...he's cheeky. I was looking forward to a Tardis crew of just Yaz and The Doctor, but I can totally live with him being the new companion. And speaking of Yaz, she has now ascended to the Premium Companion Package, that you only get if you stay past two seasons, where you know The Doctor and the life of time travel better than anything and it consumes you. (Don't think I didn't catch "Former" PC Khan.)

"Trick or Treat, Doctor."

Swarm is a curious figure, and I have many thoughts about him, his sister, and the Flux. Like...he's not that intimidating, all thing considered. Mostly, he reminds me of Tim Shaw. I can't be the only one who sees it, right? He just seems like a generic, dime a dozen sort of villain. But he's clearly got a bigger purpose than that, I just don't know how we're going to explore it in entirely with just a handful of episodes, a new companion, and a universe-eating hurricane on the loose. He knows The Doctor from before, during her time as The Timeless Child. He seems to have been imprisoned by The Division, based on what he said in his first scene. He wants The Doctor to know he's returned, so it's personal...but he still takes the advantage of her having had her memory wiped. I have a number of thoughts about him, but I'm most interested in the scene where he retrieves his sister. How she was living with that other guy in domestic bliss for what had to be at least months. How she destroyed that piece of alien technology. How she seemed afraid of Swarm, but then grateful for what he did. And what he did was turn her into one of, well, him. He called Azure his sister. Maybe she was just in hiding with some sort of cloaking device, or maybe...she used the Chameleon Arch. Which could explain her initial confusion. Hey, it doesn't just turn Timelords into Humans. Back when The Doctor used it to turn into John Smith, he said he had it "set" to Human. But what are Swarm and Azure? Who are they? I have a guess. I suspect they come from the same universe that The Doctor originally comes from. We don't know how far back these two actually go.

The Flux.

Chibnall is very good at this, very good at writing stories with environmental themes and social commentary. Even as far back as his first script, 42, as well as all of his stories about the Silurians. The Power of Three comes to mind as well. This is what he does. So The Flux being a kind of natural disaster of sorts, is very him, and it makes for an intriguing and spooky threat to be overarching this tale. But what is it? Did it come from The Doctor's original universe? Did Swarm? Is he creating it? I have a guess, and it takes us all the way back to It Takes You Away. I believe The Flux is a Solitract. Perhaps not the same one as before, though it could be. But that could explain why it just destroys everything in it's path yet it continues to seemingly seek out planets and people actively. It wants to be part of our universe but it never can be. This could be a manifestation of the Solitract having broken into our universe. But what has that got to do with The Doctor? Maybe The Doctor's original universe is a Solitract? Of course, that itself is a questionable idea because as far as we know, a Solitract can't sustain independent life that it doesn't create and perpetually control. But again, it might not be the same one. Or maybe I'm all wrong and it comes from somewhere else. Either way, I want answers about The Division and Swarm and the Timeless Child. Thankfully, it does seem like this season is going to provide.

[happymeishappylife]

Games I Played in 2021

1. Mass Effect 3

I really enjoyed the final trilogy story of the mass effect series and getting to see what the ultimate fight with the reapers was going to be and how it was going to end with Sheppard. Having played these on my Xbox 360, these were the original games as opposed to the Legendary Edition and I actually liked the synthetic life ending. I mean especially after really enjoying Legion’s storyline, I couldn’t just kill off all artificial life to save the universe and the synthetic life seemed like a good compromise. But we’ll see in the new game what the developers actually choose to do.

2. Mass Effect Andromeda

To be honest these two could be tied. The jump in the productions and graphics and a brand new universe to explore was a great way to refresh the series and start brand new storylines. As I posted about while playing, my only gripes were the endless unimportant side quests and the bugs, but other than that I loved the story in Andromeda and loved Ryder and the ability to customize them into someone with more depth than Shepard. I would love to see a sequel, but I know that’s really reaching since a majority of people didn’t like this game.

3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

I finally got myself a Switch this year and of course I had to get this game. After watching enough people playing it in 2020, I knew I was going to love it. Plus as a Landscape Architect it was fun to customize and decorate my island. I played it almost every day after work and while the game is finally starting to wane on my interest, I know as soon as I get Happy Home Paradise, I’ll be right back in it.

4. Shadow of the Tomb Raider

It was bittersweet to finish the story of this Laura Croft, but the final game was awesome (at least final for now). I loved that not only did it really immerse itself in Latin and South America, but that it gave it new breath by having a whole culture of people to interact with instead of just being a lone wolf. Plus unlike Uncharted, where it is always for the good of humanity, I did appreciate that the game developers let Laura go really dark at the final battle. I mean girl has definitely killed a lot so it felt natural instead of her just being the golden heroine.

5. The Lonely Assassins

I love that Maze Theory has gotten a chance to produce higher quality Doctor Who games and this game was fantastic. Since it is mostly for mobile, it felt like you really did just pick up somebodies cell phone and get pulled into the mystery. Plus the fact that the game was a sequel/follow up to the Blink episode really added some depth to the weeping angels and the lore. I also loved all the cool easter eggs about the TARDIS and the Doctor.

6. Edge of Reality

Again, love that we get bigger Doctor Who games now and I love that I could play this on my Switch! I know they retrofitted the original VR game into the platform version though so some of it was slow and I ran into one glitch that required a full restart of the game which was annoying. But overall I loved being able to be the Doctor’s companion and see both the Thirteenth Doctor and the Tenth, though the weird Madame de Pompadour subplot was not to my liking. Still, imagine getting to do a game with all the Doctors like this, that would be amazing!

7. Super Smash Brothers Ultimate

I owned the original Smash on N64 way back in the day and then played off and on with friends over the years, but I fell out of Smash because I got turned off by the really competitive nature. But even having not played it in forever, I got super emotional over the announcement that Sora was finally going to be in the game. Because if there’s any character I can wreck with, it’s my keyblade boy. So I’ve been having fun replaying, playing the spirit board, and have dabbled in online play.

8. Songs For a Hero

My friend introduced me to this game and its silly and fun. While its a classic platformer game with a knight who is on a mission to save the princess, the whole premise is that the character sings throughout the entire story. Its silly and the lyrics are hilarious, but it made for a cute game. Plus the DLC with the zombie mode was awesome because our hero got a metal upgrade and it sounds amazing. Kudos to the developers.

9. Tetris 99

There was a stretch when I first got my Switch that I was playing this 20 minutes everyday. It made me a better Tetris player where I can comfortable say I get in the top 20 regularly, but I still can’t win this game. It’s a great fast paced update and I love this still of competitive gaming where as long as you’re good at Tetris, you have a great shot to win.

10. Pac-Man 99

I didn’t play this as much as I played Tetris only because this did require really learning how to attack the other players (a difficult task when you are playing Pac-Man), but none-the-less I had fun playing this competitive online game too. And I am okay at Pac-Man but not a master so it was fun to see how far I could go.

Other Games I played:

11. Jackbox Party Games

12. The First Tree

[pilotheather]

hey i never really watched or followed the chibnall era what was wrong with his writing that made people happy he’s gone

i think this will get you different opinions based on who you ask.

a LOT of people were extremely unhappy with the s12 timeless child plot twist. which, if you don't know: basically he redestroyed gallifrey, and revealed the doctor is not a timelord at all, but was instead the progenitor OF the timelords (a child that kept regenerating, even when they died) and that she was tortured on as a child, being repeatedly killed to realise the secret behind her regenerative abilities, to create the timelord race and then had her mind wiped.

which, im not a fan of. some ppl are? but mostly it panned: lots of ppl are unhappy, bc theyre saying it's "ruining the lore"; personally i dont mind since dw is fast and loose with its canon - and im moreso unhappy about centreing the doctor as, like, the big important chosen one in the universe (like blech) bc its just such a stale narrative decision.

but even before that there was a lot of criticism of chibnalls writing. and again: ur gonna get different opinions on who you ask. there's, uh, for example... a LOT of ppl (off tumblr, mostly) who tout it as sjw bullshit (yawn) bc of jodie and the diverse tardis team. that's bs outrage over nowt, ofc. but like- other than that its just... the writing. yeah, some ppl like it but ik a lot are unahppy with it for different reasons.

and to, like, summarise my own thoughts on chibbers writing: there's LOTS of little things that sort of build up for me. but at the crux of it? personally i dont think the man can write sci-fi - like, at all. thats my own personal main gripe with him. i hear he's good at straightforward drama: whilst ive never seen broadchurch myself, a lot of ppl whose opinions i trust liked it well enough; and furthermore, when it came to torchwood, he did have one or two eps in there that i liked in premise. however, when it comes to sci-fi, i respectfully think he just flounders. like he just cant integrate those other skills he has into a scifi story. the tardis was super overcrowded in s11&s12 (and that brought its own issues) but even still it was sort of... laughable, how much development the companions got. a lot of the time they'd sit there like pints of milk and just?? not really do anything? it got a little better in s12- but its like... he doesnt know how to handle a sci-fi storyline, whilst also exploring the characters in tandem and its like theyre just theyre as objects to move things along. its really fuckin weird.

like, in the most recent episode (last years NY's special, Revolution of the Daleks) the pacing was so strange. there's this whole section in the middle of all the action, where they just STOP and talk inside of the tardis. and don't get me wrong - i dont mind a heart to heart! but a lot of the companions are, like, purely telling and not showing their personality msot of the time - and thats it! its so... stale. they just stand around, state something about themselves and then just do nothing half the time? bc he just doesn't know how to use them in the stories. unlike in rtd or moffat era, where you'd have the companions jumping in and actually interacting with stuff- you'd know its just... like theyre being swept away by the plot. and you could frankly cut them out of almost all of the episodes, replace them with a sonic screwdriver or some other technobabble and it just wouldnt make any damn difference to the vibe of the ep, which is a shame bc they had PROMISE as ideas but they just don't pull their weight.

and i think that's just... super unfortunate. bc a lot of the pull with nuwho especially IS the companions and their personalities and when theyre just flat cardboard cutouts its got no energy. not to mention, like, the companions really facilitate a lot of the plots themselves- not the other way round! having companions ask questions, explore, and make decisions and react to stuff... that's IMPORTANT to really realising a lot of it. there's been a lot of times in eps where i was watching it and i just WANTED desperately for one of them to do something, to ask the doctor about it but like... she kind of just stands around and talks to herself? then there's a canned comment abt how theyre the #fam? its like. ok.

and then its like- maybe if they were being pushed to the side, and the show was servicing plot over characters that would be ONE thing but its also like i get a LOT of insecurity in general from chris when it comes to sci-fi writing, too. which ok, dude. but its like- he'll introduce a concept, but never fully explore it; he'll just drop it, and introduce something else; and then drop that and move on. and its like... we dont get any actual playing with whats going on? its like-

its just all... ultimately very superficial. like ai generated doctor who. i dont want to say it hasnt got heart, but sometimes it really feels like it you know? and a lot of it is just.. flat. because you can bring in lots of cool stuff (visuals, bring back jack, build a found family type, give us a fun quirky doctor) but if you just don't actually put work into making it all happen then its just going to be like, pretty wrapping paper on an empty box, yeah? and so its like- its like theres PIECES in a lot of s11 and s12 that are right, and they're fine, and they could make for good stories but he just doesn't know how to use them. like, at all.

and there's honestly like. a lot of other... smaller things that i could mention. i feel like theres just like... lots of little issues wrong with it all, but theyre all so fundamental and they all just build up and its just- it just culminates in bad writing, man. not moffat type of bad. but just... nothing interesting at best; frustrating at worst.

ofc theres ppl who will disagree with me and like it and thats fine. and theres also ppl who will have other things they dont like abt it that they can bring up. i would advise lookin thru ppl talking abt it on here more, omg. get a nice lil crossection of all the little messes ppl babble on abt.

[timeagainreviews]

My Series 10 Rewatch: Knock Knock

Hello, my fantastic friends! I am sorry I have been so quiet. I got coronavirus in February and it really wiped out my energy. I am finally starting to bounce back and feel like leaving the house once more. This beautiful Scottish spring we’re having has definitely helped. I also lost my grandpa this week, so I've been all over the place, emotionally. Obviously, such a big pause in the middle of a series 10 rewatch is disruptive, so I would rather just dive back in if it's all the same. When last we were gathered, I was talking about "Thin Ice." Since then, the ice has thawed and I am now up to series 10 episode four- "Knock Knock," by one-time Doctor Who writer Mike Bartlett.

An aspect of Doctor Who which I love about Steven Moffat’s era is that the Doctor and his companions didn’t spend every waking moment of their lives together. Unlike companions of the past, who basically left behind their family lives to galavant across time and space, the companions of the Moffat era had home lives. Not only did this make for some humorous moments, such as the Doctor landing his TARDIS in Clara’s bedroom on date night, it also set up the characters for something of an actual life. "Knock Knock," uses this separation of worlds to establish one of its central themes- can you have a normal life with the Doctor? 

Being a poor student in London, Bill is forced to look for a flat with a group of people she only sort of knows. This is your typical group of students, eclectic and young. The biggest commonality they have is they can’t afford a place on their own. One of the ways in which this makes the episode suffer is that none of them has much chemistry together. However, it does enable Bartlett to explore deeper concepts, such as the fear of meeting new people. Our characters are forced to deal with a deadly situation with people who are basically strangers. 

The other commonality they have is Bill’s mate, Shireen. I got momentarily excited the first time I heard her name, but only because I thought it was going to be Rose’s best mate Shareen. Also, it would mean that Rose and Shareen had like a 10 year age difference, which would be weird. Shireen is a bubbly sort that seems gung-ho about everyone getting on. This doesn’t stop 90% of their interactions from being a total cringefest. Not one of these characters is particularly likeable. Pavel, the musician of the group, and the one character with maybe a bit of culture becomes a wall pretty early on, so it’s a bland time from there on out. But that’s getting a bit ahead of ourselves. 

After a montage of disappointing flats ("Oh my god, the toilet is is what room?") the gang stands defeated. But like a beacon of light, comes a glimmer of hope in the form of John, a man who clearly prowls the streets for groups of youths. The gang is willing to overlook the obvious stranger danger about John because he has something they need- a giant house at a reasonable price. It’s another one of those deeper concepts being explored here that I think Doctor Who does so well. The show operates well when it preys upon basic fears. In this case, it’s the fear of the creepy landlord. The fear that your home life may be dictated by a creepy man who carries a tuning fork and forbids you to enter certain parts of the house like it’s Beauty and the Beast. 

 Arriving as if to say "No, Bill, you can’t have a normal life," is the Doctor. After using his TARDIS to move her belongings, Bill is quick to send him off. She even foregoes the traditional six-pack of beer and pizza, the universal payment for friends helping one move house. Of course, the moment the Doctor enters the derelict abode, his Time Lord senses are pinging. The Doctor isn't just an embarrassing "grandfather," type, but also a threat to any semblance of a normal life Bill can hope to have. As I said, this is familiar territory in the Moffat era. A funny side effect of the Doctor's attempts at allowing his companions to live normal lives is it only adds to the sharp contrast between both existences. Perhaps this is immersion therapy on the Doctor's behalf. Letting his friend remember what the world is actually like so as to not disassociate her from her own time and place. Or perhaps it is the Doctor softening the blow of eventually losing his friend.

The Doctor leaves long enough for two things to happen. Firstly, Pavel is listening to some music and suddenly is eaten by the house. Nobody seems to notice. Secondly, the new housemates have a bit of a games night for their first night at 11 Cardinal Road. There's no cellphone reception and the house is nowhere near up to code. I applaud them for trying to build up these characters, but it never really gels. Their merriment is cut short after hearing a noise in the kitchen. Scooby-Doo style, Bill leads them to the pantry where she finds the Doctor never actually left. They decide to head to bed, but the Doctor decides he's going to stay up with Felicity and Harry and listen to music. He also reminds Bill to maybe check on Pavel who has not been seen all day.

Now back in the sitting room, the gang is surprised to find John present. He addresses their problems with the amenities and waxes strange about having a daughter to look after. The Doctor asks John who the Prime Minister is, but he is unable to answer. Before they can ask more questions, John disappears down the hallway, but not before sounding his tuning fork against the wood. On her way to bed, Bill has the most cringe conversation with her new housemate, Paul. Paul fancies Bill. Bill fancies girls. I get that they may have wanted a scene where Bill flat out says to the audience that she's gay, but Paul comes off as super creepy. I wouldn't have an issue with this, but I feel like we're meant to find Paul endearing. It's hard for me to place what exactly they were going for in this scene. Paul, mate, you just met her. You just moved in together. Maybe let the paint dry first.

Luckily, like a shot from the dark, the plot saves us from having to stand in the hallway of awkwardness. Paul, having gone to his room, screams. Thinking he's having a laugh, Bill and Shireen go knocking on his door, only to find the return knock sounding across the hallway wall. The house begins to creak and shudder while doors slam shut. It's like something from a haunted house movie. In many ways, it follows a familiar trope from Doctor Who. The house haunted by aliens. We've seen it in "Ghost Light," "Hide," or even Edward Grove from "The Chimes of Midnight." Though I would argue that here, there is less grist for the mill. "Knock Knock," is a more stripped back, simple story. And in that way, I find it begins to lose me as the mystery unravels. 

As the housemates run through the house, trying to escape whatever is happening, they find Pavel in a state of flux. Something about the music on his record player skipping has kept him from being completely absorbed by the house. I will say, this is a great bit of body horror on the makeup department's behalf. Everything about Pavel looks like a guy getting eaten by a wall. As it turns out, the tuning fork and the music have more to do with what's going on as the Doctor discovers the house infested with alien lice known as "Dryads." Using his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor is momentarily able to draw the bugs out from the grain of the wood. The Dryad is not your common woodlouse, as it appears to move through wood like water. Even in my second viewing, I found myself wondering if this is kind of cool or kind of dumb. I vacillate between the two. 

In many ways, this is both Doctor Who's greatest strength and its greatest weakness. The surreal nature of a time-travelling police box affords us things like sentient planets, talking chair frogs, and killer mannequins. On the other hand, it gives us farting aliens, gamma radiation in the form of lightning, and the Doctor screaming until a window smashes. I remember reading an Eighth Doctor book where horse people read books on their planet by licking them and tasting the story. Sometimes, Doctor Who is bloody brilliant, and other times, it's bloody embarrassing. But that's partly why I love it. This kind of freedom gives it freshness. One week we get a priest buzzing like a wasp as he talks, the next we get River Song and the Vashta Nerada.

Now, I'm not saying "Knock Knock," is bad, but it is a little dumb. I've already complained about the dopey kids nobody cares about, and the silly aliens that aren't that scary, but the end of this episode is where it really kind of evens itself out. As I said, I vacillate between this being a good and a bad story. We learn that the reason John doesn't want anyone up inside the tower of the house has nothing to do with safety, and everything to do with a dark secret. After discovering the unclaimed belongings of previous occupants over the span of decades, the housemates learn that they are just the latest in a long line of people being fed to the house.

I found the motivation of the Dryads a little hard to understand. It seems weird to me that a woodlouse would want to eat people, but here we are. As it turns out, John has found a way to keep his "daughter," Eliza, alive using the Dryads. After noticing they respond to sonic vibrations, John has been using the tuning fork the make them do his bidding. It's a simple arrangement- he feeds students to the Dryads, the Dryads keep Eliza alive as a wooden woman, hidden away in the tower like some forgotten ghost. Once again, the makeup department has done its job. You genuinely believe Eliza is a woman made from wood. I especially like how they used papery twine for her hair.

They do a good job giving reasons why the housemates can't call for help. No wifi, no reception. But it is hard to imagine that over the course of decades, nobody came looking at this giant house for clues of their missing loved ones. Maybe they did and the house ate them as well. All I know is that it's mighty convenient that not one prospective tenant said to their mum or dad "Hey, I'm moving into a giant house at 11 Cardinal Road." Hell, even the Doctor helped move Bill in. What was John's big plan for when the Doctor came around looking for his "granddaughter?"

By this point, several of the housemates have been eaten by the house. Honestly, I could care less about which ones. I think Paul got his, and of course poor wooden Pavel. Or would that be wooden panel? I can't stress how little I care about these characters. Am I cold? I don't think so. We never see them on the show again. They don't matter in the slightest. With the Dryads closing in, the Doctor and Bill have to think quick. Which is when they realise that the timelines don't match up. If John were Eliza's actual father, he would be long dead. Seeing as he is not also made of wood, they deduce that he is in fact not Eliza's father, but her son. Unable to say goodbye to his ailing mother, John has been preserving her. Eliza has been through so much trauma that she has completely forgotten this fact. It's all rather depressing if I'm honest.

Depressing is okay though. What's Doctor Who without the occasion trudge through misery? Of course, it's not all doom and gloom, as Eliza restores all of the young people, once again leaving me to question why they were eaten in the first place. Were they transmuted into energy and simply recombined? It's the best explanation we're going to get, which is fine. David Suchet gives a powerful performance as he begs his mother not to end their lives. His performance is, by far, one of the strongest elements of this episode. Eliza and John are both overtaken by the Dryads, who are off presumably forever. I suppose the threat of Dryads is no longer looming now that their puppet master is no longer pulling their strings.

All in all, I find myself without much to say about this episode. It's not bad, but it's not a banger either. Even writing this review has been a bit of a slog. I find myself hard-pressed to really have any strong feelings one way or the other, and sometimes, that's just how it is. I will say it is the brownest episode of Doctor Who I’ve seen since the ‘70s. The BBC really knew how to dull down colour back then. Sigh... The best I can say about "Knock Knock," is that it's fine, really. There's nothing really wrong with it other than being kind of dull. I think if they'd have tried harder to make the characters more relatable it could have helped. Not every villain needs to be the new Daleks or Weeping Angels. Unlike some of the other episodes in my series ten rewatch, my opinion on this episode has changed very little. I would be as equally surprised to hear someone say this episode was terrible as I would be to hear it's their favourite. This is the kind of Doctor Who you can have on in the background. 

Much like we followed the lacklustre "The Unicorn and the Wasp," with the transcendent "Silence in the Library," I am very excited for the next episode in my rewatch- "Oxygen." Another anti-capitalist romp in the vein of "Smile," is just what I need right now. Now that I am back and feeling up to writing again, you should expect to see a bit more output. I wanted to cover the BBC's Youtube Dalek series, of which I have not watched a single frame. I've been putting it off because I wanted to talk about it on here. I have a few non-review articles in mind, but I don't like to promise too much. What I am saying is that you can expect more, soon! Take care!

[nikibogwater]

A Shot in the Dark: Chapter One (Author’s Commentary)

(read the fic here)

General Notes:

(So I kind of stole this idea from my friend @unexpected-possibilities after she made an author’s commentary post on one of her fics, and I was like “Oh. Wait, I actually find this kind of stuff SUPER interesting to read." So...yeah, here’s mine for anybody who feels similarly lol)

I have been dying to write this kind of story pretty much since the completion of my second Wizards/ToA fic back in August, but it took me a while to suss out the plot. I generally try to keep my fics as canon-friendly as possible (not that I have anything against AUs, that’s just not a direction that I usually go in) so it was tricky to create a high-stakes adventure story that didn’t mess with canon too much. 

That being said, Chapter 1 is pretty chill, apart from the scene at the end. But it is incredibly important to the plot, because it sets up elements that will be very relevant later in the story. It also serves to re-establish the three-way relationship between Douxie, Archie, and Nari, which will give their interactions in the future chapters more weight. 

One last general note before we get to the passage-specific stuff: The song “Protector” by City Wolf has always been my go-to theme for the Douxie-Archie-Nari relationship, but I think it really captures the feel of this story in particular (or at least, it will once the whole thing is posted lol). I’ve never associated a particular song with any of my other fics before, but this one really was a huge part of what inspired this story, so I highly recommend that you give it a listen, if you are so inclined.

Passage-Specific Notes:

Two pairs of luminous golden eyes were hovering uncomfortably close to his head and staring at him fixedly. Douxie yelped and threw off his covers, scrambling upright and fumbling for his magic vambrace nearby. A small green hand held it out to him politely, and after a bit of confused blinking, Douxie finally registered the faces of his companions. Nari and Archie were sitting on the floor next to his mattress, looking at him eagerly. 

Two short things: One: I had no idea how I was going to start this scene, and then I remembered that one Calvin and Hobbes strip where Calvin wakes up to find Hobbes hovering over him menacingly, and I was like “Yes, that will do nicely.” Two: I still have no idea what Douxie’s magic bracelet-thingy should technically be called, so I settled on vambrace. I know Merlin refers to it as a bracelet in the show, but Merl, I’m sorry, but you clearly know nothing about jewelry. That thing is NOT a simple bracelet. (Also I had to research the difference between bracers and vambraces in order to determine which word to use. Bracers are apparently protective gear that is exclusive to archery, while vambrace is a more general word for any kind of armor worn on the forearm).

“It’s also the day you promised to bring Nari to Central Park,” Archie informed him.

This is a callback to a previous entry in the series, Home Away From Home. Although each entry in the Immortal Bonds series is written in such a way that it can be enjoyed as a standalone, I do weave tiny threads of continuity throughout all of them.

Mornings for Nari looked very different than they used to, she realized as she set the kettle on the stove, stepping back so Archie could light it (due to her somewhat complicated relationship with Bellroc, she was still wary about anything that involved fire). As a demigoddess who had existed for hundreds of millenia, she had never had much experience with something as human as family domesticity.

The scene where Nari and Archie make Douxie’s tea was originally going to be much longer and feature a lot more introspection on Nari’s part (I even researched the British tea-making process for it, since I’m fairly certain Douxie is the one who taught her how to make tea). I was going to start exploring the idea that Nari is still insecure about her place in this little found family, but I realized after about three paragraphs that there’s no way Nari doesn’t know how much Douxie genuinely loves her--she is already proficient in reading his emotions at this point. So that’s an internal conflict for another day.

“Keep very still for me, Nari.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his aura flowing out and wrapping around her like a warm, familiar cloak. “Celare,” he murmured, and Nari felt a sharp tug on her spirit as the spell washed over it, cool and comforting like the shade of an old tree.

If you’ve read previous entries in this series, you know that I can wax poetic about the physical sensations of magic for DAYS. It is one of my favorite aspects of writing Tales of Arcadia fanfiction. Also Celare (kel-ahr-ay) is Latin for “Hide” or “Conceal.” I had to get outside help for this because I don’t speak Latin, and Google Translate is (as I found out) completely unreliable for even the simplest, single-word translations (it gave me the word for “clothe” when I used it 😑)

The first time she had walked the streets of New York City, Nari had been on the verge of tears. There were so many sensations assaulting her mind at once, the feeling of countless souls buzzing around, a crowd of spirits so thick that sometimes it felt like a wall. Even without tapping into her roots, she was drowning in a sea of tangling energies, as hundreds, even thousands of voices echoed in her soul all at once.

Oooooops, is that a parallel for Sensory Processing Disorder? Well, how did that get in there??? *shoves my own mental health issues under a rug with my foot* I have no clue.

This is probably as good a time as any to discuss auras vs. life energy. Basically, aura is the energy radiated by the presence of magic. Magical creatures who share close bonds can become very sensitive to one another’s aura, and because magic is so inextricably linked to emotion, Nari is able to read Douxie’s aura to pick up on whatever he’s feeling (though this is because she is extra sensitive to magical presence--Douxie is attuned to her aura, but he can’t read hers the way she can his). Life energy, meanwhile, is the energy given off by every living soul, magic or otherwise, and that’s what Nari is able to sense via her powers as a demigoddess. I sometimes interchange the word aura with spirit or soul or something similar, but if Douxie or Nari are sensing one another in any capacity apart from their actual physical senses, it’s their auras. Archie also has an aura, but it’s not as intense as that of a true magic-wielder.  

He was fashionably dressed, (“business casual,” the humans called it), with an elegant black trench coat hanging nonchalantly off of his arm. He had dark brown hair, handsomely trimmed and styled, just a bit shorter than Douxie’s, and was wearing a large pair of expensive-looking sunglasses. He looked thoroughly uninterested in the world around him, and had the appearance of someone who was waiting to meet up with a particularly tardy acquaintance. But Nari couldn’t sense that he was waiting. She couldn’t sense anything from this man. He emitted no life force, no aura or energy of any kind. He was like a standing, breathing corpse.

I have had this character floating around in the back of my mind since August, and I was just waiting for the opportunity to use him. Also fun fact, he was originally conceived as a sort of prototype for who I thought Mordred Le Fey would be in the ToA universe. But since canon is technically still ongoing and the ToA writers could still bring Mordred into the picture, I decided to adapt him into the original character Rivan (whose name will be properly revealed in the next chapter).

Beside her, Douxie’s aura was rippling with unease. But a moment later, his spirit stilled, and he put an arm around her to turn her away from the alley...

...A minute later, the crosswalk signal changed once more, and they continued on their way. Though Douxie’s spirit was radiating a placid energy, Nari couldn’t help noticing that he kept his arm around her for the rest of the journey.

It was important to me that Douxie not look like a complete idiot in this scene, which was a little difficult since this part isn’t told from his perspective. Homeboy absolutely knows better than to ignore something suspicious like this. But he is also acting as Nari’s brother/guardian in this scene, so he tries to play it off to keep her from worrying too much. He promised her a fun day in Central Park, and he’s not willing to bail on that just yet. But I’m hoping that the fact that he has to force his aura into a state of calm and physically holds Nari close to him as they walk are good indicators that he has gone on high alert.

And that’s a wrap for this week! Next Friday, all hell is gonna break loose, so definitely come back for that. If you have any questions/comments, definitely hit me up either in my Ask Box or over on Ao3. As always, thanks for reading! ✨💕

[variousqueerthings]

It's a movie. You'd like that one too. Everybody dies.

It's The Eaters Of Light. I think this is the episode that I had absolutely completely wholly forgotten. and it's the first episode to be written by someone who also wrote for the classic series from what I've read. and what do I think about it?

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 5/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 8/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 6/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 7/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 9/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 7/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 8/10

FULL RATING: 76/100 (if I can count….)

This story does very well in the ratings and I did enjoy it. I think on the whole it had quite slow pacing, but I'm rather forgiving of that in this one because it wears a lot of heart on its sleeve and isn't trying to be "clever and landing on insincere" about things

it is a tad forgettable in form, but it's got some neat thoughts and good acting and crucial Master/Doctor moments and some fun continuing points made for Bill and the Doctor I think

OBJECTIFICATION: There's nothing here. onwards!

PLOT-POINT: Bill isn't so much the focus in this one but she does get a whole segment to herself, which reveals itself to be important because she gets to affect how the people around her interact with each other, functioning as a sort of intermediary (which belongs down in companions matter), which does also show a bit of her confidence and growth as a character. it's just neat to see her holding her own

she also fully knocks the Doctor down to stop him from doing something stupid, which also speaks I think a bit to the both of them together and how she's stopped the Doctor from being self-sacrificial before. so it's not her episode, but she's given quite a central place in the plot. and also she of course drives the beginning of the story by getting the Doctor to go there in the first place

she just feels very grounded in the universe of Doctor Who (alas we are about to run headlong into the finale)

COMPLEXITY: it's another quite simple episode. the Romans are invaders as a not-so-subtle messaging about colonisation and Empire (again, interesting after the previous episode!!), the Scots have a handy dandy creature from beyond this dimension at hand, it all goes haywire, there's a metaphor about the next generation fixing the wound, and then it turns out the Master is on the Tardis!

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: there's something in there about the Doctor and sacrifice and Bill not letting him, and then of course about the Master being onboard and this whooooole beautiful part where the Doctor and the Master talk

COMPANIONS MATTER: Bill has this cool little moment where she's been bonding with the Centurions but doesn't let them off the hook for being colonisers (again, INTERESTING after last episode) and then she realises that they all speak the same language and uses that knowledge to help bridge the gap between them, because not only are they on opposing sides, with one as aggressor, but they're also all basically kids (the oldest centurion is 18) because all the adults have been killed

so while there is some slooowness to the plot, where Bill is having conversations with the centurions and the Doctor and Nardole with the Scots, all that chatter is meant to build towards this moment with Bill. which I do like

and of course her bonking the Doctor over the head to stop him doing something stupid

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor in this one is genuinely doing a lot via talking. the monster is a bit of an aside, it's more about hoping to heal people. whether this is done perfectly well, I don't know I'd have to rewatch at some point to get more of a sense

I didn't always entirely vibe with some of the Doctor parts, but I think it may have more to do with Nardole, whom I have finally identified as being largely superfluous to plot and providing far too much bathos, which is this season's version of the dumb sexiness of yore. it's not as annoying as that, but it doesn't work to me and undercuts sincerity

the other part is that the Doctor is definitely operating under some kinda tough love idea in this one, and I think I wish I could have seen more pathos with the kids who are experiencing the destruction of their homeland and deaths of their parents. the Doctor seems to essentially tell them to snap out of it and says the creature was a bad idea, but there's a bit of a missing bit here... it's more politics than the Doctor, but it's the Doctor's lack of feeling for their pain that I think I was missing a little

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: this episode is written by a classic who writer, which in a way is almost all it needs for its credentials. it doesn't have anything big in the text itself from what I saw, but that's still pretty cool

“SEXINESS”: like I said, bathos has replaced sexiness, but that still doesn't rate this further down. but I see you bathos. I seeeee you

INTERNAL WORLD: they're there to find out what happened to the ninth legion and it turns out what happened was Big Creature, which feels more like a backdrop to doing some political messaging, which means I'm not totally satisfied by this part. it's a little like the Van Gogh episode, it couldn't quite balance these elements, although I do like the big creature in question

POLITICS: so how was the politics? okay, well before we do the big politics, shoutout to queer men! this brings us to... three times on this era. Canton Everett the FBI Guy, the nameless gay joke guys, aaaand this episode, in which it actually works!

it only took us most of the era to get here, but look, some queer guys and they're not the FBI in the Nixon episode or jokes, and they bond with Bill a little, so that's neat. also Roman queer men, they'd fuckn better be!

now for the big stuff -- there's a big Thing in here that's all about colonisation and the young correcting the flaws of the old and healing, and I'm not convinced it aaaall works, mainly because the Doctor/episode never gives us a clear view of the pain of the Scots beyond some solidly written speeches from the single-episode characters themselves (mainly the girl who's supposed to guard the gateway)

it all feels a bit closed off from the actual pain that's supposedly being presented and was what caused them to make extreme choices. I like its sentiment, but I actually wish it had gone harder -- what does it mean for your land to be taken from you like that? I think that might be at the core of why the episode drags a bit. there's a lot of speeches, which would work great in a stageplay, but on TV I think they could have done more showing

FULL RATING: 76/100 (if I can count….)

I kind of covered all of it in above point. I liked this episode and I think something more overtly in-your-face political metaphor isn't sooo common in m*ffat's era of DW, and so it was cool to see it from a classic who writer. it's missing some... Flavour, I think, to make it really good, but I like Bill in it especially, and I think the single-episode characters were fun

and that last part with the Doctor and the Master is ooh, I meaaan

the Doctor and the Master... this season JUST!!!!! these two!

[kindred-is-obsessed]

Reasons you should be watching Craig of the Creek

Not enough people are watching this wonderful show, so I thought I’d do my best to introduce people to it. It’s made by former Steven Universe crew Ben Levin and Matt Burnett, so if you’re missing Steven Universe while it’s on hiatus this is a great way to keep away the hiatus blues, or if you just enjoy in cartoons. It’s great for a whole list of reasons, which broadly fall into the two categories of great representation and great storytelling:

Canonical queer representation

-       The witches premiere in the episode The Curse. If you aren’t sure if you want to watch this whole show definitely watch this one at least! It’s my absolute favourite not least of all because it’s about teen goth girls in love. It has a sequel The Last Kid in The Creek which is also wonderful, and the witches cameo throughout the series. I don’t want to spoil too much but The Curse is essentially about the two not wanting to be separated and struggling to admit their feelings for each other. (Spoilers: they do and walk off alone, blushing, staring at each other lovingly, while the kids aww at them)

-       Bernard and his girlfriend watch a cooking show hosted by a gay couple.

-       Other cameos, hints and coded queer kids such as JP’s sister (who has fancy dinner reservations with Kat, a woman with a shaved head who compliments Kelsey’s fake sword). There’s also Raj and Shaun (two very close friends), as well as several very boyish tomboys, including Handlebarb and Turner.

-       All public bathrooms I’ve spotted in the show have gender neutral signs on them which is nice.

POC representation

-       Craig, the main character, is black and has a loving family explored in depth, including an activist grandmother working for the council, a wise and fun grandfather, a supportive fun dad who loves his amazing wife, an adorable assertive little sister, and an angsty overachieving older brother who just wants to be a good grownup who loves his family and girlfriend.  

-       There are MANY characters of colour. There are black and brown characters, Raj is Indian, Stacks is Hispanic (and it’s implied she is an immigrant), there are several Asian characters, Kelsey is Hungarian and Jewish, a persistent background character wears a hijab (I’m pretty sure she was named at some point but I can’t find her name anywhere. She definitely has lines at one point). I’m sure there are others I have missed. No one is a stereotype as far as I am aware.

Subtle neurodivergent representation

-       JP is possibly on the autism spectrum. I’d love neurodivergent people’s opinions on this, but while the representation isn’t canonical or obvious I think it’s good that while JP is represented as having different thought processes from his friends, he isn’t made fun of for it, at least not by them. It’s noteworthy I think that he’s the eldest of the core trio, probably because he finds it easier to relate to younger people who still share his imagination and care less about his unique way of thinking. His neurodivergence is explored most explicitly in the episode Jextra Perrestrial, so if you’re interested in this kind of representation definitely check that episode out.

Non-nuclear family representation

-       While the main character is a member of the typical nuclear family you see on TV (except black, and actually interesting) most of the other families we see are not.

-       JP is raised by his mother and older sister. His father is never mentioned and their house is definitely in worse condition than the others we see. His family works hard to take care of each other. His sister is a nurse and both her and her mother are away a lot of the time, but they both love JP very much. JP’s sister also happens to be really openly body positive. I love them a lot.

-       Kelsey’s father is an only parent. There’s still a lot of mystery surrounding how Kelsey’s mother passed away. It’s a very subtle but important part of Kelsey’s character and comes through in really bittersweet adorable ways (not limited to Kelsey using her “half-orphan”ness to guilt trip a man into giving her money)

-       Other kinds of families are scattered throughout the show, including families that move around a lot, a home-school kid with a strict mother, and more.

Unique approach to fantasy and sci-fi

-       You know how most kids show will take a kid’s fantasy and bring it to reality? Well Craig of the Creek keeps the fantastical and nostalgic element of that line of thinking but never confirms or denies whether the kids fantasies are real or in their heads. And not in a Scooby Doo way where the fantastical elements are explained away, but are hinted as a possibility right at the very end. Instead, two perspectives (the fantastical perspective and the realistic perspective) are woven into every episode.

-       This means there are two ways to interpret every episode. You can view the witches as real witches, or as goth teenagers. You can view Helen as a kid from another dimension, or a home-school kid who is never at the creek at the same time as the other kids. You can view Deltron as a cyborg from the future, or as an imaginative kid from a big city.

-       This is super unique and fun to watch. They come up with so many new ideas and its always fun to figure out what’s actually happening, while still getting to relive childhood fantastical nostalgia.

-       Almost all of these episodes use this to talk about an issue, but these issues can get quite complex and are definitely not shoved down your throat.

Overarching mystery plot about a colonialist kingdom / cult

-       Love the slow burn storytelling of Steven Universe’s Diamond Authority? Love putting together the mysteries of Gravity Falls? Then you’ll love this plot about colonialism, classism, bullying, peer pressure and more and its mysterious build up including cryptic graffiti art and flower symbolism.

-       Even before this arc properly begins, Craig of The Creek primarily centers around the microcosm of the Creek. Many of the episodes have a lot of commentary on society, politics and how different factions of people form and interact.

-       The show is over 50 episodes in and this arc is only just starting to kick off so now is the time to catch up and watch.

-       Fun complex villain(s)

Complex relatable characters

-       Want commentary and nostalgia about horse girls, children’s tea parties, weird kids, angsty teens, young weebs, dweebs and more!? Every childhood obsession is represented in this show.

-       Adults! All the parents and older teens in this show are just as rich and complex as the kids. They are all so interesting and fun.  

-       Want characters with arcs, aims, fun relationships and complexity!? Look no further! Redemption arcs! Revelations! Found family! It’s all here!

Great art and soundtrack

-       Cute background and character designs that make you nostalgic as hell and are also beautiful and well thought out.

-       Sometimes the art design is changed up for a particular episode to portray a certain fantastical / sci fi element. It’s very fun and engaging. 

-       An opening song that’s fun to sing along to, bittersweet ending song that makes me want to cry, a couple of musical episodes including a super fun rap musical episode, and a great OST

Queer headcanons

-       There are tons of ways to interpret the show but here’s some of my head canons just to get an idea.

-       (Note that despite my headcanons I use the pronouns for the kids that they use in the show cause I’m not certain about any of it and they’re kids who haven’t come out yet and also for clarity and consistency’s sake – I’m not saying trans people are not their genders. Don’t worry I’m nonbinary)

-       I headcanon that all the main trio grow up to realise they are queer. They strike me as that weird group of friends that doesn’t fit in with the other kids and aren’t quite sure how they all came to be friends, only to later realise they all showed early signs of breaking gender roles and that’s why they stuck together.

-       Craig definitely grows up to realise he’s gay, bisexual or queer. His admiration for characters like Deltron and Green Poncho are definitely crushes that he mistakes for a strong sudden and eager desire for friendship.

-       Kelsey probably grows up to realise she is nonbinary, a trans boy or a WLW. I mostly headcanon this because I relate to her a lot and I’m nonbinary and queer so I said so. She reminds me a lot of myself as a kid. She throws herself into books, mostly fantasy for escapism. She fantasises and writes a lot for the same reasons. She dresses like a tomboy (She always wears her hair up in the same bun which strongly reminds me of my own childhood hair dysphoria) and she hangs out solely with male friends.

-       JP gives me strong trans lesbian vibes, or to a lesser extent nonbinary vibes. (I know his sister is WLW coded but take it from me there can be more than one queer in a family). He is interested in girls, specifically Maney the horse girl (he even joined the horse girls for one episode). He wears a long V-neck shirt that is essentially a dress ALL the time. He’s aware that he’s different and while self conscious sometimes, mostly just wants to express himself the way he wants to. He also chooses to go by initials JP over his very gendered name Johnathan Paul (In a recent episode he names a ship after himself, calling it “The SS Johnathon Paulina”).

-       (Sidenote if you do start watching this show and I see any nasty shipping of these characters in non puppy-love fashion so help me god)

 Other reasons

-       The show is at times very intertextual and references Princess Mononoke, Super Smash Brothers, Sailor Moon, Lord of the Rings, and a billion other things. It also has some fun cameos, including background images of the Tres Horny Boys from The Adventure Zone, a TARDIS from Doctor Who, and a Cookie Cat from Steven Universe.

-       Honestly, this post hasn’t done the best job explaining why I love this show so much. You honestly just have to watch an episode to understand fully what I’m talking about, so give it a go! Watch The Curse at least, it only goes for 10 minutes.

[plum-pudding-and-honey]

MONTHLY RANGE : Eight & Charley & C’rizz (1/2)

Scherzo -  2.5/5 : So... I really don't know how to rate it. Because I recognise the brilliance of the thing (excellent way of using the audio medium, the sound creature was brilliantly creepy and the atmosphere is so cringy but in a good way? Also Paul McGann and India Fisher are excellent and they do have good chemistry together). But I'm not a fan of Eight/Charley so this was kinda … annoying? I liked how the Doctor/companion relationship is explored and I like the fact that companions are memento mori (a nicer way of saying "pets", the Master gets it) but I really hated the idea that Charley was the first one the Doctor really loved (lol no) because like Rose and Clara, Charley is supposed to be """special""" (the difference being that Rose and Clara actually believe that they are special, it's not the case for Charley which is why I don't hate her with all my guts like the other two) in her relationship to the Doctor. Each and every companion has a special relationship with the Doctor, no one is special and the Doctor (whatever the incarnation) loves them all. Period. So yeah, having them mopping for two hours about "You said you loved me, you didn't mean it", "But I love you", "No, I don't love but actually I do, I'm just trying to protect you." was annoying. Just say you love each other, kiss or whatever and move on, but don't linger on it for THREE episodes, thank you very much. And then in the last part, the Doctor admits that he loves all his companions, so yeah great, but what was the point of saying that Charley was the first one half an hour before except pissing me off greatly? Despite all this, this was still a good illustration of my Eight-treats-his-companions-like-shit thesis. (Also, forgot to mention, Eight at the beginning whining about loses his senses … annoyingly brillant and sent me huge Eleven vibes). So yeah, I love some of it and hate other bits, so I guess I'll settle for something in the middle, rating-wise.

The Creed of the Kromon -  2/5 : It was going well pretty much until the end first part. Then it became a huge disappointment. We have two female characters, Charley and L'da, and they're both reduced to being reproductive tools for the Big Bad Bugs of the week and despite saving L'da being C'rizz motivation from the beginning, he just shoots her when he finds her without even considering trying something else to help her, I mean it's not like she begged that bad. And then he's ready to do the same to Charley. Great. Way to go. I hope this trigger-happy tendency will be corrected soon because I do find him an interesting character - I mean he's rough around the edges but there's way for amazing character development so please don't screw this up. The chameleon concept is also great (and wouldn't work on visual medium, let's be honest). Consider me hooked up for the Kro'ka/C'rizz arc (which I don't remember at all btw so that will be like listening to it for the first time). Also, I have to add that Eight's laugh in this episode cleared my skin, watered my crops and all of this. Also! I’m glad to have a Doctor + two companions dynamic, I really love it

The Natural History of Fear -  4/5 : So this was weird. I mean most of Eight's adventures in the main range are weird but this is another level of weird. Like they're really taking meta to the next stage. I don't have much else to say to be honest, except that it was difficult to follow at times but that I obviously loved the 1984 vibes. THIS IS THE VOICE OF LIGHT CITY. WELCOME TO YOUR NEW WORK DAY. TODAY IS HIGH PRODUCTIVITY DAY. Also that end twist *shocked*

The Twilight Kingdom -  2.5/5 : That's not particularly memorable. It really struggles to keep us hooked up for two hours and it didn't really work for me : I've lost interest and let my mind drifted several times and I was still able-ish to understand what was going on. That's not a good sign, people. The interesting bit was at the end with the return of the Kro'ka and how the mystery thickens about this weird place. Also Eight yelling "RASSILLON" at the end … someone's mad at daddy. We get to know a bit more about C'rizz which is always good to take since last episode didn't offer us any insight on his person at all. There's something definitely shifty and not coherent at all about him, like he's supposed to be a pacifist monk and yet, he's a pretty violent lad (I mean, this episode doesn't really count, he was controlled, but in the Creed of the Kromon he's not particularly gentle), which he acknowledges himself (I mean it could just be that being enslaved by the Kromon changed the man that drastically, but still...)

Faith Stealer -  3.5/5 : Ah! Finally we learn a bit more about C'rizz and we address what the hell happened in the Creed of the Kromon. Although, did he just get brainwashed into getting rid of his guilt, just like that? Because if that's the case, I'm gonna be very disappointed. I mean, I don't want him to suffer or anything but it all seemed a bit easy. Also, yeah, poor C'rizz, easily manipulated and preyed on by pretty much anyone is this freaking universe - can anyone give him a break for a second please? (also, is strangling Charley going to be a recurring thing or what? Because that is NOT ok, writers, no matter how much Charley jokes about it afterwards). Anyway, the plot was ok, the multihaven (or whatever the name of this place was, I don't remember) is an interesting concept (even more relevant today) and I really liked the idea that it's completely ok for anyone to worship literally anything without judgement. 

The Last - 3/5 : Excelsior used a nuclear weapon to end a never-ending war and killed most of her people in the process? Excuse me? The unpredicted parallel with the Doctor and the Time War is up the roof people. And so I can't help thinking that this story would have been much better in a shorter version with a post Time War Doctor (can you see this with Nine, Rose and Jack? Because I definitely can and I'm not ok). Anyway. Charley doesn't get strangled this time but choked with a pillow. I don't know, do the writers have a kink about strangling/choking/killing women? And her death was the least credible possible with the Doctor moving on from it like twenty seconds after and absolutely not going into huge drama/self pity/extreme guilt mode, so you know she won't stay dead very long. I liked C'rizz very much here, he's actually growing on me much more than Charley. I like his loyalty and the fact that he has a much darker side, when it's actually well exploited.

Caerdroia - 5/5 : gfvbvgttybvgf THREE EIGHTS THREE EIGHTS T H R E E  E I G H T S it's more than I can take. Hmm. So, i love the first part where the Doctor takes a nap (he deserves it) and sass the Kro'ka into telling him where the TARDIS is. I love him. Then we gets three versions of Eight and that's when I completely lost it. I also quite liked the crazy vibe of this episode, which felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland (again). The labyrinth part (or is it a maze??) was quite well done and the fact that it feeds off the Doctor, Charley and C'rizz subconscious was a nice to get to know them a bit more (especially C'rizz, whose annoyance with Tigger!Eight was very relatable). Charley and Eeyore!Eight was also priceless to be honest. And finally, finally, we get the TARDIS back and yeeeah! Also the Kro'ka is a frog vbyvegbvfy I can't

The Next Life - 2/5 : Excuse me but did this thing need to be that sexist? I mean... even Eight was a bit borderline a couple of times. I hated Charley in this episode, I hated how quick she was to judge C'rizz and how jealous she is throughout this audio when she's never really struck me as being jealous, especially not of C'rizz of all people. And it's a shame, really, because I was starting to think that maybe, she was getting less annoying. And most of all I HATED how her interactions with Perfection were depicted, how they bicker about the Doctor and, like, I get that it makes sense with Perfection being Zagreus and all, but it was very poorly brought, and ... just no. Also Perfection's relationship with Kip ... brrrr. Again, no. The plot in itself was not particularly memorable. It ends the Divergent Universe arc properly, the idea of this universe being in a constant cycle was kinda interesting and made sense with everything we had learnt so far so that's that. It was also nice to get to know more about C'rizz and I really like him more than Charley, and I hope he'll have a proper chance to find out who he is now. I'm definitely disappointed with this audio, it was way too long and problematic. (Just kudos for the Grace reference ... and it's made me miss Grace so I might rewatch the movie as a treat)

Overall opinion : Well I’m glad this is over. The Divergent Universe was an interesting concept but the quality of the episodes overall wasn’t very good and the way women are treated/depicted here is just a big NO. Big kudos for Caerdroia which was a nice surprise. The Natural History of Fear and Faith Stealer are good too, not as much though, and the rest, I’ll probably forget very soon, just like I did the first time. The only good thing to come out of this is my boy C’rizz

[kendrixtermina]

Sigh. Chibnall.

Jodie Whittaker and demographic realism

So I want to make clear that I have no problems whatsoever with Jodie Whittaker’s performance - the character seamlessly kept walking across the screen, she has great energy, love the steampunk goggles. 

Honestly I’ve always believed that giving existing characters a demographic change is not really as revolutionary or helpful as ppl think; New characters and stories (esp. told by writers of those samedemographics) solve the problem much better. Keeping specificity is often better than losing it, and the character still has a background (from an “advanced” civilization that used to do dirty deeds and is still kind of uppity attitudes, a character who’s decided to be against that attitude but still needs to be knocked own from the occasional uppity moment; It makes sense for them to look like a british dude, and they have the freedom to go wherever problems like sexism and racism don’t exist so... ), and will be linked to its origin.  But at worst something that will look dated in a few years like the 80s outfits, the show’s done dated and crowdpleasing before; There’s no hard reason not to do it and I expected no quality dip. 

It certainly worked as as attention grab, the premiere drew a lot of attention but that only lasted as long as it took for the reviews to go sour. But one of the main good things its proponents said could come of it was to help the lack of female anti heroes. So far she really didn’t get to anti hero much; It’s not Whittaker, it’s the scripts. 

I want to make this clear: Varied demograpics are good; 

This is why I kind of hate the term “diversity” is one of those vague euphemisms if you mean “demographic representation”, “social equity” or “demographic realism” just say that. 

In a way this is a good thing, it used to be only the best boldest writers who could get away, noadays it has become acceptable to have varied casts. And that’s how it should be artshouldn’t have to have to pass some arbitrary quality standard to simply reflect reality. But as the rebootverse and star trek discovery should’ve proved realistic demographics can’t replace good writing. Sometimes lack of realistic demographis is associated with bad writing because both come from play-it-safe more-of-the-same consummerism focussed sameyness, often someone who goes against the formulas has a solid vision which makes them good, and focussing on ignored topics and perspectives can yield new ideas (consider stuff like Wonder Woman, Get Out, Black Panther... which were just good, novel movies) but you could have a super interesting memorable story where everyone is a medieval european monk, but the characters are differentiated by personality, attitude, beliefs, or something where the cast ticks all sort of all demographic boxes but the characters are 1D and the story trite and predictable

On the one hand you get those gamergate adjacent fanboys who make “diversity” and “good writing” out to be enimical opposites and then you have the purists/antis who treat any critique of writing to be founded in having something against realistic demographics. You need both! 

Series 11

There were good things about it: An attempt at leastto do more of your classic thought provoking space operas or going back to the shows’ pulp fiction roots, covering some historic periods/topics other than the classic historical fiction tropes (they got a pakistani writer, had Yaz and Ryan discuss social topics among themselves etc.), the emotional story centered around this family coping with a loss, having Ryan sort of be the “main” companion and the one the rest of the team is protective of

But overall the reason I didn’t rush to watch s12 as soon as it came out is that it was a bit... bland. The team interacted mostly with each other; The Doctor had more charge with one shot characters like King James or the Solitract than she really did with the companions. Graham was such a missed opportunity. Remember how everyone loved the dynamic with Wilfred? No attempt to strike a bond over how they’re the older party members, or the professional xenophile trying to nudge the bilbo baggins like reluctant hero? We’re told the Doctor really likes Yaz, and I believe it cause she always liked people like that, but are we shown?

For all that Moffat and RTD were very different writers with different strenghts and weaknesses, both were very character-driven writers, and that was really missing here a bit. 

Some ppl said they didn’t give Yaz enough screentime or personality - but the thing is, they did try. They just failed. They let her make little remarks here and there about her homelife, they just never really assembled into a whole beyond buzzwords and inspirational platitudes and the Standard Companion Traits. I didn’t get a read on what she’s about or who she’s like until the pakisan episode where she unlike Barbara, Donna etc. immediately accepted that the past can’t be changed. Ah, I finally thought, she’s a very responsible dutiful person.

Everything lacks edges and defining moments. 

So far, I didn’t sweat it. I though, ok, not everything can be the high-concept character driven spec fic epic type of story that is my personal favorite. Every time there was some addition to the mythos in any way someone cried ruined forever. When the time lords first appeared. When the time war was introduced. 

The classics too were lower on the character driven ness; Still good pulp fiction content. (imho the character concepts themselves were often pretty good, just not used to the fullest and some of the actresses were treated crappy backstage)

I thought “okey, it wouldn’t be good to break with the tradition of making the sussequent incarnations contrasting”

I did think that there was much liberty with the additions which the others did do only towards the end when it feltmore earned, but, the addition of say, sisters, isn’t too disruptive

Series 12 and the Timeless Child Nonsense

The frustrating thing about this is that it COULD have been good. 

The Master teaming up with the cybermen to try and take over Gallifrey is precisely the sort of story the classics would’ve done. 

“Your society is founded on a shady secret and exploitation of the innocent” is a good plot twist especially in these times. The Master finding that secret and using it to his advantage - also very him. 

Imagine what it could have been like if it had been approached from the perspective of someone who, for all that they were a rebel, still sort of profited from being part of that society, someone who wants to take responsibility for that past and would maybe have to make some tough choice to let the exploitation victim go because it’s right even if it has cosequences for themselves and their civilization. 

but then you ruin that by immediately taking the protagonist out of that society. They and they alone are the victim. 

like this plot could have been good except for the twist that the Doctor and the timeless child are the same. 

Not connecting it to existing lore about the earlier war game days, everything with Omega and Rassilon, that bit about the Time Lord becoming what they were through exposure to the untempered schism... that might be forgiven. Even if it does stretch the suspension of disbelief that every single piece of sci fi scanning equipment in the show didn’t pick anything up; Not to mention that it destroys the stake on every heroic sacrifice or death prophecy plot, every time a companion or oneshot character took the bullet, the whole “out of regens” plot...

This is not me being mad about things being added or changed, but this being done in such a way that undermines the philosophy, the whole flavor... 

Yes, the MC is mysterious, the 7th Doctor arcs did a lot with this etc. but doesn’t spelling something out this clear not deplete rather than add to that? It#s a definite answer even if the final origin isn’t clear. 

But they’re so much else.

The trickster hero accomplishing great deeds with planning, guile, improvisation and duct tape, the implicit value that ressourcefulness trumps raw power. 

The rebel, different because they chose to be or made themselves to be such through their adventures, sticking to their own values in a close-minded society - who embodies & encourages thinking for yourself in every situation and universal plot, who battles enemies like the Daleks and Cybermen that represent comformity

Yeah they have many names yeah they take out gods... but all this was the result of their actions & path in pursuit of knowledge, and also, as Moffat once stated, the funny part is that behind all the fearsome reputation is wit and duct tape. 

The fish in a small pond who started out a misfit, failed their tardis driving exam... etc. and often made a point that they didn’t want immortality or endless godlike power. That’s meaningless if they had it to begin with. 

The explorer who wanted to see more than their corner of the world. 

The ANTI HERO that’s made alltogether too tragic here, too absolved from their uppity civilization

All that is wiped away if they were this special creature to begin with.

Where WAS the philosophy, rly? The big humanist speeches that made me love the show. 

Going Forward

So I think - I HOPE - that this in particular will be treated like the “half human” thing from the TV movie or the now josses additional origin stories from the audios, or be handwaved under the “you cant get it wrong cause everything is in flux” carpet

It’s the Master effing with her to pay her back for the half broken chameleon arch thing. 

It’s possible the Child actually existed, long dead or trapped somewhere - again, dirty mystery at the bottom of a stck-up society is a good twist. but this shouldn’t be more than another maybe in the multiple choice past not a definite answer. 

Also, i hate this line of thought but I can’t stave it off: Why is is now that the MC looks female that we get this vulnerable, passively victimized tomato surprise rather than something with an ugly but definite choice in it. 

I will probably ignore it - parts of me resents this cause “your civilization is based on a lie” could be such a good plot twist (then again the existing twists to that end from the classics and End of Time do enough rly) but if i have to choose between that and the basic meaning of the character....

[chucklestheechidona]

Doctor Who: The Jodie Review

(Long post)

(Sorry)

Introduction

I decided, still being locked down, to watch some Doctor Who.

Hadn’t watched it in a while, told myself I’d always catch up when I had the time, and the universe decided to give me a lot of it.

I had stopped watching Matt quite some time ago, but caught up about 4 years ago to Capaldi’s first season. I had meant to carry on with it but slow-going times and I forgot and all the other jazz that fills in the space between not doing things.

But I thought I’d storm through them and get them over with. I had heard bad things going onwards, but hey, I’m one of those sad losers that LIKE Love and Monsters. It’s not great but I thought what it did well, it did great.

So, off I went to finally catch up on a show that formulated so much of my younger self, my love for time-travel, interesting sci-fi that ended up getting me into the genre, and a love for character interactions and lore.

I went through Capaldi, and his last two seasons, yeah, they had an odd episode here and there, Sleep No More is a disaster, but I carried on through. I’m a trooper, I got through Fear Her after all.

But I fell in love with the Doctor again. Heaven Sent is easily the best DW has offered so far, the character building with him and Clara and Bill and hell, Nardole, are superb. The stories were interesting, the Doctor was great and evolved, and the companions were the perfect fit for Capaldi.

And then, after a brilliant goodbye, he was gone.

“Be kind.“

And here we go, we’re with Jodie, she’s northern, she’s confused, and she’s in need of some pockets, falling through the sky, yeah, 200 degrees that’s why they call her missus fahrenheit-

Not Jodie, but Chibnall

I’m not going to drag this out too far, I ain’t gonna make you read this for ages just to see if I like it. If you don’t want to see me complain about two seasons, this is your point to head out.

I think these are the lowest series of Modern Doctor Who.

But like the title says, it’s not Jodie’s fault. She’s an amazing actress, and she plays the part well. Hell, so does Bradley, Tosin and Mandip. Each one of them is a good actor and when the scene calls for them, they pull it off well.

The issue here is the writing.

And I feel I should go through why I think that.

But first, I think I should point out the good.

The Good: On historical topics and representation

This is the most diverse Doctor Who has been in a while. It was pretty diverse before mind you, let’s not forget the Doctor seems a bit flexible, the companions have been a mix of sexualities, gender, age and race, and each one of them is loved by many. Hell, Jack Harkness was so popular he got his own tv show.

But Thirteenth has gone and made sure that there was more.

Characters just pointing out they’re gay and it’s just a matter of fact. It’s a statement, not an argument, not being out there or subvertive, it just is. People are more than fine with this. 

I’m surprised Graham the bus driver is so accepting of everyone at the start, but it speaks testament to his character. He fell in love with Grace, he raised a son with a disability, he stands up for those that dare have a go at any of that. Graham didn’t have to grow to learn this in the Tardis, he was accepting from the get-go. 

Well, there’s some conflict about Ryan blaming things on Dyspraxia in the first episode but it comes out of a place of fear of their lives. But any tensions between them are resolved quite well, to the point they can count on each other.

Either way, representation is important and Jodie’s season has it in spades.

As for historical topics, the Doctor tackles them quite well. Honestly, the episodes in the past are her strong suit. And as she’s a woman now, she has a new battle against her. History wasn’t always kind, and the gag of them addressing Graham each time is a genuinely good idea.

Also, Rosa had the opportunity to be butchered. It could have been written badly, it could have been handled with hardly any care, but it was the standout episode of the season. Each character gets some good lines, the gang has to face moral decisions and it’s a genuinely good look into a past that America would sometimes like to forget.

As an aside, I think Bill, even as one character, explored the sexuality thing more and the diversity she faced from it, I think thirteenth doesn’t do a bad job. I liked the astronauts as shown above quite a bit to be fair.

Graham

The standout star of the show.

This will be unfortunately brought up in my negatives for the show too, but this is the good side.

Graham’s lost his wife, he has to connect to her grandson, his cancer is a constant worry in his head and he comes with the Doctor in an attempt to escape/confront all three.

He is the one who evolves the most as a character in the first season, coming to terms with the death of Grace is something he battles with throughout, he still blames himself. For whatever reason, even in the Rosa Parks episode, he gets the most emotional writing. Ryan and Yaz do get good writing in the same episode mind you, (which is unfortunately one of the few times Yaz does) but it’s heartbreaking to see Graham realise what he has to do.

The Acting

I unfortunately have to put Ryan, Yaz and the Doctor here in one group category. and I hate to do that, but I feel it’d be a disservice not to mention them.

Their actors can act well. When the script calls for it, they do amazing work.

The scene where Jodie is angry and confused at the other Doctor, where Ryan is actually there to support his friend, when Yaz is comforting Ryan about America, where Jodie is fucking pissed at the Master, all good scenes.

But this is a perfect segway into -

The Bad: Asides the retcon

Holy shit where do I start.

I mean, we’ve got the good out of the way, so you know where I stand on the issues a bunch of people wrong accused the show of being. A female doctor is more than fine, the diverse cast is great, the topics of exploring the past is done good.

And I’m not going into the retcon just yet, I feel like going ITS BAD BECAUSE OF THIS ignores so much of the problems to be had

But let’s start with

The Doctor

This should have been her outfit just saying

I find the best way of describing most of this doctors run so far is...

Imagine, if you will, that you need to write a Doctor Who book. They’ve given you a plot to go with, but they haven’t told you which Doctor it’s for. But tight schedules and they still haven’t told you, so you write up a draft. A template. But you leave the Doctor’s text ambiguous. A template for a Doctor. With some work, you could make it the 12th, the 5th, the 1st, once you add mannerisms and how the doctor would react personally in a situation. So you write in this template Doctor and go to sleep. But you wake up and your assistant has only gone and submitted it.

The Doctor is kinder than any other iteration of her Doctor, but that’s it. I get why the natural progression from Capaldi, and Jodie sells a nice Doctor superbly, but ... 

There’s nothing really there to distinguish her as her own Doctor. She’s nice, a bit confused, LOVES things and calls people fam.

But like, that’s it. Where the 9th had coldness, 10 had eccentric, 11 had old man and 12 was furious, Jodie has... nice. But a Doctor needs an edge. 

She’s quiet about her home life and she doesn’t really talk much to her companions about it, but like, that’s understandable, she doesn’t really talk one on one to them or even much about their home lives.

She doesn’t get an arc until Spyfall, and even then it’s largely just turned into “She’s well moody”, and apparently well moody is just being kinda quiet. Jodie says it right when she shouts at them in one scene “You don’t know me!”

And she’s right, but then the companions trust her with everything and they’re part of a FAM and super close but they don’t really talk with each other. Jodie doesn’t have these quiet talks like the other Doctors would have with the companions, it’s just... not there.

And because it’s not there we’re supposed to believe they think of themselves as a tightly knit group but also very apart as characters. And the companions, to their credit, try and confront her on it, but the conflict is over so quick as to not be there at all.

Yaz and Ryan

This is the best scene of them in, and one of the rare times Yaz makes an impact on a story which isn’t just supporting the Doctor

What they did to these two actors is cruel.

Ryan at least gets to join in on Grahams arc, because it is Grahams arc, not Ryans, really. There’s a plot about his Dad that’s done quite well, so that’s why Ryan doesn’t suffer the same poor fate as Yaz does.

Yaz has absolutely no agency. She wants to be a successful Policewoman but it’s not really much addressed outside of the first episode and the dream episode (which admittedly, is a good episode and explores each character). She gets told by everyone she’s the heart of the team and super brave and like, she hasn’t got an arc, she pretty much blindly follows the Doctor, she has no reason to be there much other than her family’s a bit annoying.

Her actress plays the scenes well, and there’s some touching moments with her in Rosa and the dream episode about how she is the way she is, why she does the things she does. But 2 episodes out of 20 isn’t enough.

Ryan gets a couple of good episodes, a touching one especially comes with horrors of the future and not being there for his friends plaguing his mind, and he manages to get help for his depressed friend, which is touching.

But the two episodes? That’s kind of it.

Ryan gets a nice Dalek episode though.

Orphan 55

The worst episode in Doctor Who. Took any good faith from Spyfall and plonked S12 in bottom tier before we even got to the retcon.

If I talked about everything it did wrong here this would go on too long.

It was just the worst 45 minutes of DW

At least Sleep No More was just boring.

Character Arcs, What Are They

Graham’s arms give out in season 1 for carrying the team.

The Doctor against Tim Shaw is laughable, there’s no conflict past killing a couple of people, so Graham has to have that moral dilemma instead, Ryan manages to respect him and call him gramps, but that’s more Grahams arc than Ryans. Yaz has nothing, the Doctor learns nothing.

But series 2, the Doctor’s given an arc, which is something, considering that before this it was a throwaway line about Timeless Child from a piece of cloth.

Gallifrey is gone again, the insurance rates at this point are through the roof on this planet, she’s been told the Master did it for learning a terrible truth. But she of course doesn’t explore the ruins until she has to, but ah well, we can live with that, that’s fine in Doctor Who. I’m not even being sarcastic, the Doctor through all iterations isn’t very clever.

It gives her a bit of a mood that’s not really explored too much past that, but then we’re given Jo Martin as The Other Doctor

My opinions on throwing in Doctors from the past aside, (I love you John Hurt but damnit), Jo plays a competent Doctor, and her attitude clashes so well with Jodie that both actresses get to act well in good written scenes.

But then she’s just very confused until Gallifrey rolls around again.

We’ll ignore the retcon, again, but once she learns she gets super fucking pissed. And for good reason. Against the Master, against the Time Lords, against everyone, she’s shouting at everything, lost in her life.

But it’s sorted out very quickly by Jo intervention and then she’s much the same as ever.

Well, I say that, what I mean is “Willing to burn and kill all life on Gallifrey” with a button press. Yeah I know that the Time Lords are dead and the Master is about to kill everyone but you wouldn’t let a Spider be shot through mercy killing and you expect me to jump to “Would absolutely murder the Master and desecrate the bodies of the Time Lords”

It doesn’t matter anyway, for she has not the will to do so.

But she lets someone else do it

For fucks sa-

And at the end, what has she learned? That the thing she only knew half an hour ago shouldn’t affect her, so back to status quo

Wasted potential - Monsters

Imagine a super cool idea for a monster? Cool, add it into an episode.

And now get rid of it super quickly or butcher the premise.

REGENERATING CYBERMEN? Let’s have one shoot the other to show how bad it would be and then kill them immediately.

The Pting, capabale of disrupting a ships infrastructure an- Nah, just dick around with the lights.

A TIME TRAVELLING RACIST WHO KNOWS HOW TO FUCK UP THE TIMELINE

Let’s not even reference him 15 episodes later

Cyberman hybrid? 

You get the idea.

The Master, or rather, the Missy Issue

The Master is putting on his best Simms Master homage, and like, I get it. It’s a good Master, and Sacha really puts his all into it.

I can only hope that this Master is before Yana. Missy’s exit was poetic, done well. Of course, just when she could feel ok joining the Doctor, the obstacle in her way was herself. 

It’s not even the fact she died and why is he back now, it’s ... this Master has almost no nuance to him. He wants the Doctor to know the truth, which is at least some Master motives, but then its just wanton destruction for the sake of it. Like Simms but “what if we made him more crazy” The Master is more than this, can be more than this. It was nice seeing Jodie try and relate to him but this Master has thrown out three years of compelling evolution of the character. To throw it all out seems ... odd.

I can’t fault his performance though, he can be real damn quiet and sinister and really out there when he’s screaming at things.

The episodes themselves

Good cast, good side characters, good ideas, butchered in execution by not exploring the main cast, falling flat on the ideas and by the second season, losing the fun side characters.

Episodes I liked

Woman Who Fell To Earth

Rosa

Demons of the Punjab

WitchFinders

Takes You Away

Fugitive of the Judoon

Can you Hear me

Episodes I hated

Orphan 55

Arachnids

The Timeless Children

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (for cutting everything short)

Everything else was mostly unmemorable I fell asleep on Ascension of the Cybermen, had to rewind it.

The Retcon

You knew this was coming.

I put it last for I feel there’s a hundred and one issues here and it’d be cruel to just go for the obvious first. Maybe people would think I’d be against this one thing and that’s why I hate the rest. God no, I was so annoyed going into this episode, let alone for what it was about to deliver.

I don’t outright hate past Doctors. Hell, shove the brains of Morbius in there. It shits a bit on Hartnell and established lore a bit, but still.

“But the Brains of Morbius said-“

The eighth doctor said he was half-human, there are some bits of this canon we ignore.

But oh well, it’s not the main crux of the issue.

The Doctor, before this, was a Time Lord. He wasn’t much of a good one, by Time Lord standards at least. Ran from the schism, wasn’t as good as the Master in school, didn’t like the stuffy nature of his race, or their non-intervention policy. Ran off in a stolen ship with a knackered console and wanted to see the universe.

He flouted the rules. He stood up for people where Time Lords wouldn’t. Observe, don’t intervene. But the Doctor couldn’t, too curious, too inquisitive. He got a fondness for humans, god knows why. 

But this Time Lord was against his own people, he was kinder than them, but alien to us. He wanted to learn, and left his planet to see if there was good in the universe. He was a rather shit Time Lord but helped where he could, making a difference in other people’s lives, trying to be the best he could be, learning.

This got him into trouble with the Time Lords of course, but, hey, it’s a funny old universe.

And we like that, as British folk. An underdog common person just trying to help out and be good.

What we’re not a fan of is saying the the Doctor isn’t just some Time Lord that likes helping out, but a chosen one who is the reason that Time Lords exist in the first place and is of another dimensional world and there were 50 of them and they knew kung fu in the super secret Time Lord service but they wiped her mind because it was super secret guys and she can live forever and is immortal and-

I was annoyed when the 50th made a slight mockery of the Time War. I get we don’t always have to stick so closely to canon, but holy shit the Timeless Child.

The fact it was exposition dumped on us and then wrapped up 10 minutes after with NEW ADVENTURES AT CHRISTMAS was just the icing on the cake.

If you wanted to pull this off, this should have been the Doctor’s struggle for the next season, coming to terms that her life is missing, that the Time Lords did this, that she didn’t even know what was right or not

But no, resolved. Felt not like adding to the lore but upending it on its head to say he could.

It’s why I don’t blame Jodie, who does an excellent job. Or the cast.

I blame Chibnall.

And it wouldn’t be as bad if the writing leading up to it helped serve the episode. But there was nothing there. 

Conclusion

The writing is trash, the Doctor is underdeveloped, the cast outside of Graham aren’t explored, the setup for the finales are weak and uninspired, the retcons are going to cause major issues down the line and you’ve changed the very nature of the Doctor’s character and didn’t even have good writing behind it nor did much to explore it.

And I’m sorry it had to happen to such a good casting decision.

Here’s hoping you sign on to Big Finish and they give you some good storylines Jodie, you deserve it.